Correlates of School-Home Communication From Caregivers of Children With Autism.

Li et al. (2025) asked caregivers of school-age children with autism how often they hear from teachers.

They also asked which contact method families prefer: email, phone, or paper.

The team compared answers across income and race to see if preferences differ.

Most families want a school note every week.

They actually get one less than once a month.

Black and lower-income caregivers pick email far less than white and higher-income families.

Bebbington et al. (2007) ran an earlier survey across England. They mapped social-service spending for autism families. Both studies use parent reports to show services do not match need.

McAuliffe et al. (2017) asked moms about stress and supports. Like Chak, they found caregiver surveys reveal gaps between what families want and what they receive.

Davison et al. (2002) showed parent-child play style predicts later communication growth. Chak adds that parent-school contact style also needs attention, or kids lose a communication channel.

You can fix the gap today. Ask every caregiver how often and how they want news. If they skip email, send texts or paper. Weekly contact is the new minimum, not a luxury.