Proposed needs-based training program for parents of young children with autism

• Main Author: Padua, Ivy G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: Autism; Parents of autistic children; Training needs
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3362
• Institution: De La Salle University

Caring for a child with autism (CWA) is very demanding and the strain is a tremendous burden for may parents. With this concern at hand, this study describes the parents' profile, identifies their training needs, finds out if there is a correlation between parents' profile and perceived needs and designs a parenting program based on their perceived needs. A total of 50 parents whose child with autism is 6 years old and below were included in the study. All of the respondents were from 14 schools in the Southern Manila area. A researches-devised questionnaire and a focus group discussion were utilized in data collection. The study used descriptive statistics and correlation coefficient in the analysis of data. Majority of parents who participated were in their middle adulthood, has a high educational attainment and belong to the middle class. Half of the participants are housewives. As for the training needs in the four areas included, parents were found to be deficient in their knowledge on the use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manula of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) in providing definitive diagnosis for autism. They reported had greatest difficulty in handling the top-five characteristics of young children with autism: social indifference, hyperactivity, temper tantrums, short attention span, and delayed speech. On the other hand, the major stressors identified by parents in caring for their child with autism were: lack of community resources, lack of occupational opportunities for a CWA, lack of community awareness, financial difficulties, and concern for the future. Meanwhile, the involvement practices that parents must be educated upon are on attending seminars, joining organizations and participating in school activities. No significant relationship was found between the parents' age, educational attainment, occupation and socio-economic status and their extend of knowledge on autism, extent of difficulty in managing the behavior of their young CWA, degree of stress experienced in caring for their