Publication Date
2011
Document Type
Dissertation
Committee Members
Erendira Lopez-garcia (Committee Member), Heather Wilder (Committee Member), Julie Williams (Committee Chair)
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Abstract
This study aims to serve as a deconstruction of the experience of parenting a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The increasing number of families with children affected by ASDs has led to many questions about the impact of ASDs on the family unit; however, the voice of parents is sorely missing in the extant research. The history of ASDs and disability in general continues to impact the ways families, society, and professionals treat families affected by ASDs, and particularly the ways they view and value the parent-child relationship. Six mothers of children with ASDs were interviewed about their experience parenting a child on the autism spectrum and their relationship with their child. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to give voice to the parents' collective experiences. Clinical implications and limitations of this study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.
Page Count
202
Department or Program
School of Professional Psychology
Year Degree Awarded
2012
Copyright
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
