Open AccessIdentifying the Needs of Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder from Specialists and Parents' Perspectives: A Qualitative Study
Author(s) -
Rouhallah Khara,
Leila R Kalankesh,
Hassan Shahrokhi,
Saeed Dastgiri,
Kamal Gholipour,
MohammadReza FeiziDerakhshi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences/iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1735-9287
pISSN - 1735-8639
DOI - 10.5812/ijpbs.107203
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , psychology , autism spectrum disorder , qualitative research , social needs , autism , content analysis , needs assessment , developmental psychology , medical education , medicine , health care , sociology , social science , artificial intelligence , computer science , economics , economic growth
Background: Families face many challenges in caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) throughout their lives. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the needs of families of children with ASD from specialists and parents' perspectives. Methods: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with ASD specialists (n = 19) and parents of children with ASD (n = 23). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a content analysis approach. Results: The needs of families were divided into nine themes and 11 sub-themes from the perspective of experts and four themes and 17 sub-themes from the point of view of parents. Major themes identified from the perspective of ASD specialists as the main needs of families included knowledge, skills, attitude, social needs, financial needs, educational needs, mental health services, ability to handle other family issues, and ability to deal with the specific child's problems. Also, information, service, support, and financial needs were the four main categories of needs expressed by the parents. Conclusions: In general, understanding the needs of families is among the experts and the families somewhat similar but differs from each other in many ways. Achieving a shared understanding of family needs among professionals, parents, and policymakers can better address those needs.