Coping Strategies of Parents of Children with Autism

Having a child given a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a very stressful event for parents. It is imperative to understand that there is much that can be done for both parent and the child. From the current literature we know that parents of children diagnosed with autism worry about many things like lifetime dependency to family dissonance. We know that these parents are distressed and angry, the parents of children with more unusual behaviors feel a lot more stressed than the parents of children with fewer unusual behaviors. However, having a strategy to approach it correctly and to get the best possible help for your child is probably the most important step, one can take to relieve stress and to aid the child’s development.

The literature review explores the issues and challenges of parents of children diagnosed with autism, challenges such as accepting the diagnosis, lack of social and family support, guilt, judgment, and coping with the child’s autistic behavior. The studies indicate that there is a connection between the parent’s psychological distress, such as depression and stress, and parenting a child with autism. A big part of the battle parents are facing depends on their self-acceptance, feeling of judgment by society, and the child’s level of behavioral problems. Many of the studies also explore different types of coping mechanisms of parents of children with autism and suggest different solutions and interventions to assist the parents.

Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

“Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, deviance in communication, and patterns of behavior and interests that are restricted,

As a teacher who works in a school for children with autism, I have seen first hand how the families are affected by the disability of their child. The parents in my school have shown tremendous strength and support for their children, contributing positively to their quality of life. They come into school and learn how to work with their child, have continuous contact with the teacher, and tremendously help the school with fundraising efforts. I have been lucky enough to see the positive effects that parent support can have on a child with autism, but I am sure that there are many cases that are opposite of this. Having a child with autism does put a great strain on all family members, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

A child’s diagnoses of autism affects the every member of a family. Parents or guardians must place their full attention on helping their child with autism. This may cause marriage problems or stress on other children, work, responsibilities, finances etc. They must shift their focus to their child and also provide money and time for treatments. Although the child may never have to feel

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a name that is used for a group of developmental disorders. Children with Autism have great difficulty with bonding emotionally with others, they find it hard to make eye contact with others, communicate their feelings and express themselves to the people who are closet to them. Autism effects the brain which inhibits these children to interact, communicate, and concentrate. A child with Autism will display behavior such as, repetitive behavior, rocking, flapping hands, repetition of words, and will want to always arrange objects.

Children with autism don’t know how to communicate. Some do not talk at all, then some will talk very little and only do one answer questions. The children with autism that is able to talk. Normally will hear something that a family member said, or something said on television and repeat something that was said over and over. A lot of the time, they will have mental breakdowns when they need to say something and can’t. The main symptom of autism is the problem with social interaction. People with autism are

When it comes to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), many people don't understand what the disability is or how children who suffer from ASD live their everyday lives. “Autism is a serious nuerodevelopmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.” (Psychology Today, 2015). Usually, autism is diagnosed in children from as early as the age of 2 and symptoms can impact individuals throughout their lifespan. Common symptoms of autism include impaired social interactions, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, problems processing information from the senses, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Anxiety is also common among children with ASD, and parents of children with ASD are more likely

Autism is described as a neurodevelopmental disorder that inhibits characteristics like impaired social interaction, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, cognitive disorders and repetitive behavior.

Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders face various challenging issues ranging from developing ways of getting accustomed to the disease to frustrations they face in school due to inability to communicate well and socialize with others. Parents may isolate themselves from their children with the disorder as they fail to show affection to them. This case study examines the interventional measures such as the use of weighted vests for halt or minimizes the disease to enhance the cognitive skills of children as well as their

Autism is a disorder characterized by significant problems in communication and social functioning. Autism is actually called Autism Spectrum Disorder and encompasses a broad range disabilities such as Asperger syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, and Pervavasive Development Disorder (Dunlap & Fox, n.d.). There are also varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication and no social interaction) to

A pilot study by McLeod (1999) over three years, with a sample of eight adults, using case studies and both qualitative and quantitative methods of research (including questionnaires, interviews and follow-up) described parents of individuals on the Autism spectrum, as ‘the

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and

There is no doubt that raising a child with autism is challenging. There is endless research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but a very limited amount on the costs and benefits of caring for a person with the disorder. In order to gain a comprehensive perspective on the biggest challenges parents and caregivers of autistic children face, a look into the private lives of these families and close networks is necessary. The only way to give support and provide the much needed services required to help, one must ask them what the most difficult parts about managing autism are. Below examines three of the most common struggles these families face when trying to understand and help their autistic children develop into the capable people they are certainly able of becoming.