“I’m sorry, my child has autism” : lived experiences of low-income parents of children with autism in Singapore

• Main Author: Ong, Tze Ping
• Other Authors: Lee Hyo Jung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/78815
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In early studies, many parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) rank the need for financial assistance as one of their top stressors. This study aims to understand and exhibit the challenges and stress from the stigma that low-income families of children with ASD face in Singapore. Research questions focused on impact of income level on marital and interpersonal relationships of parents with the rest of the community too. 16 parents of children with ASD from various income levels were interviewed through a qualitative research with results showing stress coming from different areas with low-income parents experiencing more stress, less social interaction, several less satisfied marriages and professional lives. This research is done in hopes that there can be increased empathy and access to more resources and services for lower income families of children with ASD in Singapore to allow for a better quality of life.