Issues And Challenges Of Parents Of ASD Children

The feelings a parent faces when diagnosed with an autistic child can only be described as guilt, pain, panic and disbelief. Where the dreams of their child surviving all the years of educational schooling and therapy and becoming an independent adult start fading; yet there are success stories of those who did. The Internet has made it possible for parents to have access to a great deal of information about treatment for ASD. Unfortunately, much of the information is not based on solid scientific evidence that demonstrates

The goal of this review was to examine ASD and how it has impacted families. The literature was consistent in its findings, which stated that, Autism is a complex disorder that is diagnosed in childhood and has a wide range of symptoms. Many of the studies showed that children with ASD have the same symptoms such as hyperactivity, anxiety and self-injurious or aggressive behavior. The initial autism diagnosis leaves parents and siblings confused and they may have a hard time accepting that the child/sibling they were anticipating is not the child/sibling they expected. This transformation in their family can impact the relationship in the family, as feelings of fear and worry overwhelm the family system. ASD impacts parents and siblings as it changes the dynamics of the family. It is significant for families to find coping mechanisms that work for them as they

Parents utilize a lot of time, energy, and finances into pursuing a diagnosis, working with school professionals, and receiving mental health services. Parents and siblings are also affected by the emotional and behavioral needs of the child with AS, such as an AS child needing more attention and support services than their siblings do. “Children with AS lack natural empathy, which interferes with the ability to be sensitive to the needs of others” (Polirstok & Houghteling, 2006, para 5), affecting family relationships. An AS child tends to withdrawal from social situations and from their own family, which tends to result in an Aspie perceiving oneself as a social failure leading to other mental health disorders, such as depression. Some parents feel isolated by their child’s difficulties and a diagnosis provided support systems, such as an Asperger parent support group. One research participant in the Calzada study stated, “Sometimes I mix with mothers of children with the same diagnosis and their children are in special schools but they’ve got the same label. I find that hard to understand. I look at their child and think they’re nothing like my child; I can’t see any similarities but they’ve got the same diagnosis.” (2006, para. 44). A lack of universality for parents seems to be a negative effect of removing the Asperger diagnosis from the DSM-5, resulting in feeling isolated and unsupported as a

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. For grown-ups, an autism diagnosis may get alleviation terms of a clarification for their long lasting battles, for parents, the principal months in the wake of discovering that their youngster has a formative issue can be enthusiastic, confounding and testing. A kid 's autism diagnosis influences each individual from the family in various ways. Guardians/parental figures should now put their essential concentrate on helping their kid with ASD, which may put weight on their marriage, other

This hardships and struggles were focused on their child’s tantrums that are present in the condition ASD and how they cope up with it. Participants also described having to make lifestyle transitions in their life. One lifestyle transitions affected their careers for them to focus more in taking care of their child. Family activities and relationships with their non-affected children was also affected being involved in a child with autism. It was shown in the study how autism spectrum disorder give an impact in the primary caregivers’ life and his/her family. The findings suggest that professionals need to engage more with families when conveying a diagnosis of autism, particularly with families that is financially unstable. Thus, the findings suggest that there is a need to inform the future families who may experience the involved responsibilities of having an autistic child.This study gave several recommendations to three particular subjects the Families /Primary Caregivers, Government and the Community. All these subjects are selected for the enlightenment of this topic which is autism spectrum disorder(ASD). The findings from this study therefore provide hope and encouragement for parents of children with autism in particular, but also for parents raising children with intellectual disabilities

Accepting an ASD family is where society needs to focus. Accepting and helping that entire family is where the focus needs to be. Family functioning is an important source of support for any family with a special needs child. (American Psychological Association, pp. 232-252). “Interventions addressing the discrepancy in expectations can help contribute to improved mental health for parents.” (American Psychological Association, pp. 232-252). Parents need a guide, a place to start. Many parents are left fending for themselves. Better respite options need to be readily available. Workplaces need to be more flexibility to ensure a parent can still hold a job to aid any financial burden. (Diament, 2009) Programs on managing different situations and support groups need to be utilized. Many resort to Facebook and other social media groups to look for help and guidance. Many parents are just looking to vent and have a friend. Similar, their ASD child looks for a friend.

The ability for families to remain strong and thrive during difficult, emotional experiences in raising a child with ASD is new to ASD literature (Whitehead, et al. 2015). Families show individual coping responses such as avoidance, disengagement, self-blame, denial, and emotional venting (Whitehead, et al. 2015). In comparison, action oriented strategies include planning, acceptance, and positive transformations (Whitehead, et al. 2015). The combination of behavior and emotional problems exhibited by children with ASD are major contributors to family and caregiver stress (Whitehead, et al.

There is little research to examine experiences and needs of individuals with ASD, or proper and effective support systems such as educational and family support needed for young adults making this transition. Most information that is provided on this topic is based on professional’s experience and knowledge. It is essential more research is provided to develop programs to help individuals transition from secondary education to higher education, this could decrease stress, anxiety as

Nancy Cheak-Zamora is a researcher at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Cheak-Zamora states that the challenges faced by youth with ASDs as they transition to adulthood were apparent, however, the majority of the research available has focused on the perspectives of their caretakers or parents. The lack of research outlining the perspectives of individuals with autism is due to their limited participation in research. Furthermore, the fears and communication difficulties many individuals with ASDs face also contribute to the inability to gather information for study.

Once a child is born, the parents may ask questions such as what kind of child he or she will grow up to be. However, when the child is born with a disability, the line of questioning may change to how could this happen to my child or what do we do now? Receiving the news that one’s child has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may shatter a parent as their child and family’s life begins to change. These parents are now faced with many obstacles in trying to do what they feel will be best for their child. Now imagine having a child and you believe that he/she is not typically developing, but you never know what exactly is going on with them. This lack of diagnosis tends to occur within ASD when it comes to diagnosing

When it comes to the Autism/Asperger spectrum it is an interesting disorder to learn and understand. As I had the opportunity to work with all range of children that have been diagnosed with Autism/Asperger, it is the students that have been recently diagnosed with Autism/Asperger that is interesting to learn about. I have the pleasure of helping a good friend of mine whom has a 3 year old son who was diagnosed with Autism during the summer of 2015 with understanding what is Autism and ways to support him with his diagnoses. As all parents at the beginning of learning their child has Autism/Asperger they are scared, they want to know what is best for their child when it comes to their development and what services are out there to help themselves and their child with their disability. As I observed my friend’s child, I learned that with the amount of support from family and friends along with his parent’s researching case studies and documentation on Autism, they are better equip of dealing with the disability than letting the disability take control of them.

For many adults diagnosed with ASD, taking the risk of leaving the security of a parent’s or relative’s home is driven by the desire for independence and involvement in community life. In 2011, the Autistic Self Advancement Network (ASAN), Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE), and the National Youth Leadership conducted 72 one-on-one interviews to ask persons diagnosed with ASD what they sought in a community. Most interviewees expressed they desired a community that:

Following Ezra, by Tom Fields-Meyer, chronicles a dad’s experience in raising a child with autism from initial diagnosis through his bar mitzvah. He transitions through feelings of confusion and frustration to feelings of pride for his son. It begins with the time before diagnosis, where the father, as well as many of the other people in Ezra’s life, noticing Ezra withdrawing from other students in the preschool class and becoming very rigid in his routines. After spending time with a therapist, Ezra was diagnosed with autism and his parents were told to take time to grieve. Instead, Tom decides to take time to learn about his son and celebrate him for who he is, not grieve who he isn’t. The rest of the book follows this process of celebration through many obsessions, points of growth, and points of frustration as Ezra grows from a preschooler to a thirteen-year-old young man.

Financial burdens are an obvious upset to families with autistic children, on top of the already heavy expense of having a child there is now medical costs and often counselling. Sen and Yurtsever (2007) reported that families often feel “shock, denial, suffering, depression, guilt, indecision, anger, shame, bargaining, acceptance and adaptation” upon discovering they have a child who suffers from ASD. This disorder has effects on their daily “lifestyles, social relationships, economic situation, health, and goals or expectations for the future” (Norton & Drew, 1994; Sen & Yurtsever, 2007). “Autism is the most common neurological condition diagnosed in children and it is now

Family is the basic unit of the society. It is from the family that an individual learns his primary behavioural patterns. When we talk about a family of children with autism they are the family which going through many doubts, changes, stress and conflicts. Many studies have talk about the stress and trauma through which a family of children with autism is going through. The problem starts with the lack acceptance of the child to the lack of awareness on taking care of the child.