إدراكات الآباء السعوديين حول أسباب اضطراب طيف التوحد و خيارات التدخل العلاجي المقدمة لأطفالهم

Abstract EN

The current study aimed to understand the perceptions of Saudi parents about the causes of autism spectrum disorder, and the therapeutic intervention options offered to their children.

The study sample consisted of (32) fathers and mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The researcher used a semi-structured in-depth interview online.

The results indicated five causal groups.

Environmental causes, hereditary, and genetics were among the most common causes that parents referred to as causes of autism spectrum disorder.

The results also found that the majority of parents indicated that the doctor especially the pediatrician was one of the most frequent recourses they turned to to search for the causes of the disorder.

As for the difficulties of searching for the causes, the most important of them was that the process of searching for the causes was ambiguous, and took a lot of time and effort.

The results also found that there are four groups of actual therapeutic intervention options offered by parents to their children, the most important of which are educational and supportive interventions, and medical interventions.

The results also indicated that parents often present therapeutic intervention options for their children according to the causs that they perceive about autism spectrum disorder.

The parents who mentioned environmental causes as causes of the disorder, most of them provided educational and supportive interventions for their children.

The parents who mentioned hereditary and genetic causes, most of them provided more medical interventions, then the educational and supportive interventions.

The majority of parents who mentioned the reasons related to religious beliefs provided the spiritual intervention.

Finally, the parents who pointed to the unknown causes of the disorder provided educational and supportive and medical interventions together.

The study recommends that parents need training and educational programs about the causes of autism spectrum disorder, and guide them to the most effective and research-based interventions such as the applied behavior analysis program, structured teaching, and the picture exchange communication system.