Parents’ Perception About Autistic Children: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: The infantile autism is a developmental disorder that affects social interaction, language, cognition and quality of life.Objective: Describing the parents' perception about daily care for autistic children. Methods:It was a descriptive and qualitative study performed with parents of autistic children attending a reference health center in a Brazilian city. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The participants gave information about their socioeconomic status, daily care activities, hope and social interaction.Results: Based on the speeches of the participants, the following categories were described: negative feelings about the disorder; the (in)dependent autistic children and future perspectives for them; family acceptance of autism, which required appropriated changes in the family environment.