Vulnerable Population Article Unit 9
The vulnerable population discussed in the article is children with autism in a rural community. The population is vulnerable because of the unique characteristics which are presented within the rural setting. For instance, they are isolated geographically. There is, therefore, a challenge in the access to necessary amenities which would, otherwise, be effective in meeting the needs of children with autism. For instance, schools might be hard to access, especially, for the children who need a more specialized form of schooling with the need to ensure that they gain access to the insights they need to lead a more high-quality life (Azano & Tackett, 2017). There are also challenges in rural teacher recruitment and retention. Therefore, children with autism lack access to a large number of teachers who would be willing to guide them accordingly and ensuring that they attained the knowledge necessary in improving their situation effectively.
The level of risk in the research that was conducted is established to be more than minimal. The researchers had to interact with children who have autism. Therefore, there was a high chance of impacting negatively on their situation (Azano & Tackett, 2017). The population is highly sensitive. Thus, immense care needs to be adopted in line with ensuring that the population is not impacted negatively. The approach would be an indication that the researchers are interested in the welfare of the children.
The risk can be lowered by having an informed consent from the caregivers of children with autism. Also, researchers must avoid instances where they have to engage directly with children with autism. They only need to interview the caregivers about the children (Azano & Tackett, 2017). They also need only to observe the children establish the challenges which they experience. The use of an online questionnaire was a sound research methodology related to minimizing risk in research as it reduced the chances of the researchers interacting with the children with autism directly. It, therefore, helped minimize the chances of the researchers bearing a negative impact on the situation of the children and, therefore, ensure that their situation was well taken care of.
Reference
Azano, A. P., & Tackett, M. E. (2017). Perceptions of teachers and parents on the educational experiences of students with autism in a remote rural community. The Rural Educator, 38(3), 39-54. Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F2374199042%3Faccountid%3D27965