I am a member of a class at Denison University called Social Processes and Health. As a class we are interested in learning more about being a parent of a child with autism. We would like to know more about autism than the physical symptoms or treatment and diagnostic information we have found in books and on the internet. We are most interested in your EXPERIENCE as a parent of a child with autism and how you have interacted with others in seeking care and in living on a daily basis with autism. We would very much like to hear your experience and would certainly appreciate any feedback you might offer on the following questions. You can either post your responses to the discussion group or feel free to respond backchannel to (assigned person’s e-mail). We will copy your responses and get rid of any identifying information (such as your e-mail address) so that your responses will then become confidential. If you would like to share your experience, we would appreciate your feedback by February 25, 2005 so that we will be able to fully consider your responses. Thank you.
Question 1: Prior to your child’s diagnosis with autism or when you first experienced symptoms, did you talk to anyone outside of the health care system about your symptoms? If so, how did this influence your decision to seek assistance from health care providers (including psychiatrists or psychologists)?
Question 2: Considering your entire experience with the mental health care system (e.g., diagnosis, treatment, ongoing check-ups) what have been some of the most positive and most negative aspects of your interactions with treatment providers?
Question 3: Have you tried to change any of your own behaviors or habits as a result of your child’s condition? If so, how easy or how difficult has this been and how have others been helpful or not so helpful in helping you to make these changes?
Question 4: People might respond to you differently as a result of your child’s autism. What are some of the most supportive and most unsupportive responses you have experienced from your family, friends, or even acquaintances?
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to share with us anything else you feel might be important for us to better understand what it is like for a parent of a child with autism.
