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Dissertation on family stress caused by children with autism
Challenges for parents of autistic children
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Parents of children with autism often suffer from stress and anxiety. Dealing with children with autism places extraordinary demands on the shoulder of parents that can be added over the usual parental daily work and responsibilities. Compounding the needs and work load of the family members to the responsibilities of raising a child with autism can be multiplied and easily create a hectic situation where parents feel the pressure under such circumstances and suffer psychological symptoms that can be overwhelming to both parents and siblings of children with autism. Children with autism suffer a myriad of social, behavioral, and language abnormalities. An individual with such a dense profile can have a huge impact on the normal functioning of the family. In this short essay, I’ll present the reasons behind this abnormal profile of these individuals and the effects of such symptoms on the family adjustment and work load. Secondly, I’ll provide some suggestions that can help alleviate parental and siblings suffering during primary years of the child’s life. It is apparent that children with autism places more psychological and physical burden over the shoulders of their parents and siblings than children with normal intellectual intelligence. There are many reasons that attest to this hypothesis. Firstly, a child with autism usually suffers from a degree of mental retardation combined with language problems. This collective disability can be manifested through the individuals’ inability to express his/her wants and needs. In such case, families are forced to figure out what is that their child is trying to communicate through their inappropriate behaviors such as screaming or tantruming. The process of determining the causes of... ... middle of paper ... ...ual fulfillment and religious support can play a strong role in overcoming major hurdles in a person’s life. Other ways that can help with individuals who care for a person with a disability is to involve in psychological counseling that can offer alternative ways to think about the problem and find solutions for stress that can help lessen the impact of stress on the individual’s well being and ability to function clearly. There can be many more ways that can help minimize stress in the family’s life especially with a child with autism. The provided suggestions are not intended to be an exhaustive list but to mention some. Parents should be clear about the importance of their role in their child’s life; therefore, they must take care of their well being and functioning to be able to take care of the individual with autism and the other siblings if there are any.
I was responsible for implementing intervention for one child with autism, while also working with his typically developing sibling and interacting with their parents. Often times, this child had temper tantrums which taught me to quickly and effectively respond to his outbursts. This hands-on experience expanded my understanding as to how people adapt to a lifestyle when they have a family member that is not typically developing. Having the parents’ approval and trust in working with their child showed me the crucial importance of having a strong connection with individual
This Clinical Research Paper defines autism, the various impacts of the disorder, and the theories that can be applied to this type family dynamic. The basis of this research project stems from the semi- structured interviews that Ashley Hartmann conducted. She studied half on the perspectives of the siblings and that of the parent’s perspective and discovered various themes that arose from this study. In findings a total of 12 themes emerged between the siblings and parents; in the sibling interviews; knowledge of Autism, affect on relationships, feelings of sibling’s autism diagnosis, future care for sibling, meaning, acceptance and advice and extended family. In the parent’s interviews, feelings around autism, knowledge around autism, life changes, affect on relationships, support systems and acceptance, meaning and advice. She also highlights the stress that affects the family system, but also reveals the many resources and services to better assist these individuals and their family.
ASD individuals may find it hard to communicate and socialize with others around them. However, because each child is unique, they have their own unique abilities and ways of responding to new experiences. Other issues children with ASD have include; anxiety, sleeping problems, and learning disabilities. Those who are diagnosed with ASD or any other disability are usually judged and bullied. In the documentary Violet’s mother says she is afraid of her child being labeled and underestimated because she is diagnosed with autism. A child’s disability can also affect their family members. Family members may have a difficult time understanding and getting to know the autistic child in order to provide for them. They struggle to find interventions such as treatment and therapy for them, the right medical care, and trying learn to cope with all this. At times parents and caregivers can also feel stressed or irritated knowing they have to fulfill all of the child’s needs. Siblings on the other hand, may find it unfair that the autistic child gets the most attention and
Stoner, J. B., & Thompson, S. J. (2005). Welcome to our World: Parent perceptions of interactions between parents of young children with ASD and education professionals. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(1), 39-51.
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.
"A Parent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder." NIMH RSS. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. With the May 2013 publication of the DSM-5 diagnostic manual, all autism disorders were merged into one umbrella diagnosis of ASD. Previously, they were recognized as distinct subtypes, including autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. “ (Autism Speaks, 2014) Autism affects many children. My niece at 3 years old was diagnosed with autism. She funtions quite well. She can communicate fully, unlike others, some may never be able to fully communicate verbally. Like most with my niece she has a routine and if anything major alters her routine it can cause a meltdown. With the proper coping methods autism can be managed with Special Education teachers and school psychologists.
Boyd, B. A. (2002). Examining the relationship between stress and lack of social support in mothers of children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 208-215.
It can be a parent's worst nightmare... One moment your child is with you, and the next moment you can’t find them. These concerns can be especially scary when you have a child who has difficulties with communicating, socializing, and other restricted or repetitive behaviors. Together, impairments in these three areas define autism.[1]
Autism was first identified as a disorder in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner. It was widely accepted that a child’s autistic condition was the result of extremely, cold distant, rejecting and overly intellectual parenting. The child’s extreme withdrawal was viewed as a refusal to engage in social or physical contact, rather than inability. The assumption therefore was that the familial environment being hostile was the cause of the child’s refusal to become enga...
Is there anybody in your family with autism? Almost every book or article is about how autism affects the person with the disorder but never the family around them. Being a parent or a child who has autism can be extremely difficult and change your whole life. Some parents view having a child with autism is a bad thing and would take away their autism if they could. Other parents think having their child be different is a good thing and would not take it away. I think that talking about the effects on the family is very important and should be discussed.
At some point in their lives, all parents will experience stress as a result of having children. However, the types of stressors that parents of ID children experience are different and the level of stress is remarkably higher and often carries on into adulthood (Myers, Mackintosh and Goin-Kochel, 2009, p. 671). Research has shown that the immediate stressor is the diagnosis of the child; parents need to go through the grieving process in order to come to terms with their child’s condition (Norizan and Shamsuddin, 2010, p. 1000). The severity of the child’s impairment plays a significant role in determining parental stress levels (Rivard, Terroux and Parent-Boursier, 2014, p. 9). Myers, Mackintosh and Goin-Kochel (2009, p. 671) conducted a survey on 493 parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study identified that over 70% of parent statements expressed that their child’s care and supervision demands, school struggles, marital problems and challenging behaviours were major sources of stress.
The number of children that display autistic traits keeps rising and the need for services is at an all-time high. Out of 10,000 children born, 60 to 100 children and families will be affected by autistic spectrum disorder (Gulberg, 2010). Autism is characterized by a lack of connection to other people, even parents, and an avoidance of interpersonal situations (Feldman, 2011). Children with autism also show limited, repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior, interest, and activities. Not one child with autism is the same as the next; each child has their own severity and indicators of autism. A child with intellectual disabilities and a gifted child can both be given the diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum, because of the wide range of severities. Many of these children will not attend special schools, but instead be included in the general education population by inclusion. Inclusion has been found to have a number of benefits for children with autism. In addition, negative perspectives have also come into play when discussing autism and inclusion. Furthermore, parents have the right to make decisions for their child on an individual basis.
Many treatments have been suggested to parents for children with autism. An Internet survey was carried out and allocated to parents in order to classify the treatments applied by parents of children with autism. Almost all 108 of the 111 treatments recorded in the survey were used by at least one parent. An overall of 764 surveys were presented to the website throughout the 3-month data gathering tim...
Autism is one of the most challenging developmental disabilities, creating more stress on parents than any other type, even down syndrome (Glasberg). Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that causes difficulty in communication skills, learning abilities, and how they connect. Since autism is caused by brain development there can be different intensities of the disorder, which changes each persons experience. Having a child who is on the autism spectrum impacts each family in a unique way but most common it changes financial status, effects siblings, and effects the families’ relationships.