Parents with children diagnosed with autism face a variety of stressors. The typical approach to dealing with these stressors is pathological which focuses on the problem by attempting to eliminate or alleviate the stressors through counseling, behavioral therapy, tutoring, and/or drugs. The purpose of the current study was to assess an alternative approach, a constructional one, which focuses on solutions by teaching 3 parents to analyze their life, formulate goals, and develop programs to reach their goals building off of their strengths and assets. The by-product is the reduction or elimination of the stressors. The results suggest that the use of a constructional program is very effective in helping parents develop a new repertoire that will ultimately improve their overall quality of life.

Over the past two decades reported rates of autism have steadily risen. The current incidence is 1 in 68 children. While autism can be reliably diagnosed at 18 months in most children with the condition, specialized autism treatment rarely begins before a child's third or fourth birthday. As screening and diagnosis procedures improve so does the need for effective early interventions for autism. Researchers and professionals have expressed a growing concern over the need for effective early interventions for infants and toddlers with autism. At the same time, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring the needs and experiences of parents with a very young child with autism. Employing a phenomenological framework, the purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of parents of a young child with autism receiving early special education services. Unstructured interviews and photo elicitation were used to generate rich, detailed descriptions of the phenomenon. Data analysis from photographic images and narrative dialogues illuminated six essential themes across participants: (a) parents as pioneers: forging the way for future families; (b) making the journey as a family; (c) navigating uncharted service systems; (d) overcoming challenges and obstacles; (e) resilience, ingenuity and hope; and (f) reflecting on the first three years and looking forward. Participants expressed that they felt this study gave them a "voice" in the research literature. This study is one of the first to investigate the lived experiences of parents as they seek and secure autism services for their child under five with autism.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) largely remains an unknown form of neurodevelopment disorder, despite the global trend of increasing prevalence. South Africans, in general, have little awareness and knowledge about this relatively rare form of neuro-developmental disorder which could so easily be misunderstood due to the major areas of difficulty experienced by children with ASD. The aim of this study is to explore African parents’ experiences in relation to having an atypically developing child who is eventually diagnosed with ASD. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study, so that the researcher could gain a “rich” description of the participants’ experiences of raising a child with ASD. The pathways and steps taken to arrive at this diagnosis and their reactions to the diagnosis were a central aspect of this research. Eight black South African parents (mothers and fathers) of children who have been diagnosed with ASD, were interviewed to ascertain their understanding of their both typical developmental patterns and their child’s atypical development, the experience of getting the diagnosis and the experience of how raising a child with ASD has been and is for them as African parents. The data obtained was analysed using thematic analysis. The results suggested that African parents experience and understanding of ASD is largely influenced by their frames of reference. Further, the parents turned to their traditional beliefs when faced with challenges. However, other interventions such as religion and finally the western practices were explored by the parents. This study therefore concludes that the African parents understanding and experiences of raising a child with ASD is initially influenced by the parents cultural frame of reference and later by western exposure. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in an academic and behavioral remediation summer camp impacts broad adaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. Adaptive behavior was measured by administering the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition (ABAS-II; Harrison & Oakland, 2002) to the parents of a sample of 23 children whose ages ranged from 5 years, 10 months to 11 years, 4 months. Adaptive behavior was assessed prior the beginning of camp and again during the last week of camp. Repeated measures ANOVA and repeated measures MANOVA were conducted to assess whether significant changes in adaptive behavior were observed. Results from these analyses indicated statistically significant changes in adaptive behavior were not observed, but the MANOVA indicated there was a significant interaction between time and gender. Although significant improvement in adaptive behavior was not observed, there also were no significant decreases in adaptive behavior. Additionally, clinical significance was assessed using reliable change indexes (RCI). These analyses suggested most children did not exhibit clinically significant changes in adaptive behavior. Results also were mixed with three children reportedly exhibiting clinically significant increases and two children reportedly exhibiting clinically significant decreases in adaptive behavior. Suggestions for future research include using a control or comparison group, obtaining larger sample size, using multiple measures of adaptive behavior, and obtaining observations of adaptive behavior from multiple sources. / Department of Special Education

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Esther Geva.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by Julia M. Braungart-Rieker for the Department of Psychology. "April 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-100).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-52 ).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Family and Child Ecology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (Proquest, viewed on Aug. 17, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-146).

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-84). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.