Pressures on Parents of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
One of the positive aspects of the TEACCH model is the philosophical stance of that program. Essentially, the TEACCH program assumes that families are going to vary in the levels of time the have available to work with their children, the interest they have in doing so, the skills they possess and can attain, and the degree of commitment they possess to work with the child over the long-term. They understand the multitude of pressures that are exerted on every family, and how those pressures are intensified with the introduction of a child with autism who has many different needs. Yet, there is also considerable pressure within most programs on family participation in the treatment of the child with autism, because that improves the prospects for the child and helps in maintaining behavior change (Harris and Handleman, 1994). The intention in this study is to explore some of the pressures that result when a child with autism is in a family setting and how those pressures impact the ability of parents to develop and maintain parent-teacher relationships.
The impacts on the family of having a child with autistic spectrum disorder are numerous and affect every area of family life. They include financial, physical, emotional, and psychological effects. Some of the most helpful descriptions of the impacts on families are available through published compilations of parents' stories and web pages that describe parents' situation. Together these provide a portrait of the complexity that is the diagnosis of autism and the field of autism. Some of the impacts are described below.
Perhaps the first reaction of most parents is shock, even if they have been aware that their child is having problems. Still, many parents have spent years trying to find the correct diagnosis, without much understanding of the problem. When they do hear the diagnosis of autism, they ar...