Jordanian Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Social and Emotional Challenges

Abstract

Special education literature indicates
that families have a significant role in developing
their social and behavioral children's development,
and this role is more substitutional if the child has
a disability (Siklos & Kerns, 2006). However,
giving birth to a child with a disability is a
remarkable turn in the family function. It has a
wide range of extraordinary influences, including
family social, emotional, and financial life.
Findings revealed that while the most common
social challenges were lacking social support,
anger and aggression were the parents' dominant
emotional challenges in this study. The association
between the severity of ASD and the level of
challenges was positive, whereas it was negative
between household income and challenges. Parents
of girls with ASD tended to experience a higher
level of challenges.