Thayer Natalie, Marsack-Topolewski Christina, Wilson Kaitlyn
Speech-language Pathology and Audiology, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA.
College of Health and Human Services, School of Social Work, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Oct 7. doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06554-5.
The purpose of this study was to examine parent perceptions of professional and community attitudes about autism through the lens of parenting their autistic children from birth through adulthood. Implications of this research may assist with future development and study of professional and community supports of individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. The study participants consisted of 51 parents who had an adult-aged child on the autism spectrum. One-on-one interviews were conducted with parents about their experiences raising a child with autism. Data were double-coded and analyzed using a qualitative, phenomenological approach to explore parents' experiences with and perceptions of society members' attitudes towards autism. Positive and negative themes were identified across parents' perceptions of professionals and of community members. Themes regarding professional attitudes included cooperating with family requests, presuming competence of individuals with autism, complacency towards the needs of families and individuals with autism, and discrimination towards the individual with autism based on age or level of need. Themes regarding community member attitudes included valuing the strengths of individuals with autism, accommodating autistic differences, intolerance of autistic traits, and prejudice towards individuals with autism. Findings indicate that professional and community members presented with both positive and negative attitudes towards autism and individuals on the autism spectrum, with negative attitudes proving more prevalent in parent recollections. Results suggest a need for further research and related training to improve interactions with and support of individuals with autism and their families.
本研究的目的是通过从孩子出生到成年养育自闭症孩子的视角，考察家长对专业人士和社区对自闭症态度的看法。本研究的意义在于，可能有助于未来对自闭症谱系个体及其家庭的专业和社区支持的发展与研究。研究参与者包括51位有成年自闭症子女的家长。与家长进行了一对一访谈，了解他们养育自闭症孩子的经历。数据进行了双重编码，并采用定性现象学方法进行分析，以探究家长对社会成员对自闭症态度的经历和看法。在家长对专业人士和社区成员的看法中识别出了积极和消极主题。关于专业态度的主题包括配合家庭需求、假定自闭症患者有能力、对自闭症家庭和患者需求的自满，以及基于年龄或需求水平对自闭症患者的歧视。关于社区成员态度的主题包括重视自闭症患者的优势、接纳自闭症差异、对自闭症特征的不容忍，以及对自闭症患者的偏见。研究结果表明，专业人士和社区成员对自闭症及自闭症谱系个体既表现出积极态度，也表现出消极态度，而消极态度在家长的回忆中更为普遍。结果表明，需要进一步研究和相关培训，以改善与自闭症患者及其家庭的互动和支持。
