Influence of autism awareness on psychological wellbeing of mothers caring their children with autism

Abstract

Autism is currently a hot topic in the field of special education due to the high prevalence ratio of it. It is a highly variable neuro-developmental disorder that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission. Overt symptoms gradually begin after the age of six months, become established by the age of two or three, and tend to continue through adulthood. It differs from all other disabilities; the characteristics of autism create additional stress for the parents and make the life of all the family very hard. Usually mothers are face the stressful challenges for raising a child with autism, they are concerned with their children’s communication, education and related services, relationships with professionals and the independence of their child’s future. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of autism awareness on psychological wellbeing of mothers caring their children with autism . A descriptive research design was used. The study was conducted in two setting: the first was the Special Needs Care Center in the Institute of Post-graduate Childhood Studies which affiliated to Ain Shams University and the second was the out- patient clinic for child psychiatric treatments at El Abassia mental health hospital. Sixty children accompanied by their mothers with certain criteria were recruited in 2014 – 2015. The study concluded that, about two third of the studied sample had poor awareness regarding autism and there was a highly statistical significant relation between awareness ,stress and psychological wellbeing among mothers of children with autism. The study recommended that media awareness must be increased to aid mothers in prompting tolerance and understanding of autism with a clear explanation. Furthermore, there is a necessity to Counseling mothers to enhance their awareness about autism for modifying their behaviors and psychosocial skills.