RESEARCH ARTICLE J Child Adolesc Psych Vol 2 No 2 August 2018 12 BA Social Work, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. Correspondence: Hilda Aboagyewaa Agyekum, BA Social Work, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. Tel: +233505517635, e-mail: haagyekum1@gmail.com Received: July 23, 2018, Accepted: September 13, 2018, Published: September 17, 2018 This open-access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC BY-NC) (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits reuse, distribution and reproduction of the article, provided that the original work is properly cited and the reuse is restricted to noncommercial purposes. For commercial reuse, contact reprints@pulsus.com The views and knowledge of parents of children with autsm spectrum disorder Hilda Aboagyewaa Agyekum Agyekum HA. The views and knowledge of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. J Child Adolesc Psych 2018;2(2):12-1 . ABSTRACT Studies so far look at the causes and cure for autism, however, little work has been done on the challenges parents of these children face in their upbringing. This study brought out the challenges that parents with autistic children face as well as the coping mechanisms these parents adopt in their quest to cater for their children. Semi-structured interviews were used as a form of data collection. Prominent themes the study highlights is the challenges of parents, which was associated with the inability of the parents to have meaningful conversations with their children, the financial burden of taking care of them, stigmatization of their autistic children as well as themselves, and the demandingness of the autistic children. With these problems, parents in the study adapted to their situation by accepting the situation of their wards, depending on God for strength, receiving support and encouragement from some family members and friends, joining support groups, as well as taking leave from work to help their children seek proper medical care. Key Words: Autism; Neurocognitive impairment; Intellectual disability A utism symptoms can be seen by parents or daycare givers, upon the realization that the child is growing differently from his peers [1]. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a very common developmental disability which occurs in 1 out of 110 children over the world (Speaks, 2011). [2] The term has been defined by Bolte (2014 pp. 58) [3] as “a neurodevelopmental disorder persisting deficits in social interaction across multiple contexts, alongside restricted, repetitive patterns, interests, or activities as manifested by at least two prototypically inflexible behaviors.” It is a highly delved into topic, hence the numerous changes in the understanding of the disorder [4]. Wolff hints that, since its discovery, there have been a lot of journals and publications on it, which were mostly funded by Parent’s Associations. This illustrates that parents are always eager to know more about their children with autism and what they can do to help them. The numerous works done by researchers over the years have brought about frequent changes in the concept and definition of the term, which recently ended with it being called autism spectrum disorder [4,5]. The major symptoms that autistic children show are atypical social behavior; disrupted verbal and non-verbal communication; and unusual patterns of highly restricted interests and repetitive behaviors [6]. The cause of autism has mainly been linked to either biomedical perspectives or spiritual forces or both [7]. Shen, Dies & Weissman, (2010) as well as Folstein and Rosen- Sheidley [8-10] have emphasized that; there is a strong genetic contribution to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Simmons, Robertson, McKay, Toal, McAleer, and Pollick, (2009) is of the view that autism is environmentally caused. It is however likely that both environmental and genetic factor could be the influential cause of autism [11]. The cause of autism can also be linked to either biomedical perspectives or spiritual forces or both. Knowing what is wrong with your child will also help with seeking prompt solution for him or her. It is against this backbone that the study looked at the knowledge parents with autistic children had about the disorder and what their perception of the disorder was. METHODS The current study is designed to have a qualitative background. The study developed a semi-structured instrument as a guide in the data collection process. Each interview spanned between fifteen to forty minutes. The study was conducted in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Majority of the research work was done at Parents Association of Children with Intellectual Disability (PACID), an institution for parents who have children with disabilities and certain parts of Accra. A total number of ten parents were interviewed for the purpose of this research. Four of the parents were single parents, making the participants a total of sixteen parents. There were variations in occupation, which included both the formal and informal sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Both parents shared their views on the questions that were asked. Most of the participants had one out of their children being autistic, there was however a parent that had male twins being children with autism. Five of the parents in this study constitute older parents while the other five were categorized as younger parents. Parents were described as older parents if their children were above 18 years. Five of the parents in this study constitute older parents while the other five were categorized as younger parents. RESULTS Theme 1: Influential factors From the interview conducted, it came to light that, all parents shared the fact that autism was a result of a brain malfunction. Though parents could not tell exactly what could have caused the disorder, they were convinced that a brain damage that could have occurred during pregnancy or child birth resulted in the child’s disorder. Participant 6 shared her thoughts as this: I got to know about it at Korle Bu. From what I know, it is a brain problem that normally happens when the baby is in the womb. It affects the baby’s movement and behavior, which I realized as my baby was growing. (Participant 6) Though there are different influencing causes of the disorder, most parents were abreast with the fact there is a brain disorder that causes a distinction between the child with autism and other children without autism. The parents were of the view that, due to the damage done to the brain, the children would develop at a slower pace as compared to other children their age. Brain damage being the major influential factor established, some participant went on to say that the disorder could be acquired from severe jaundice that a child suffers from when he or she is a baby. About four out of ten participants held the view that the disorder was caused by jaundice immediately after birth. A parent articulated this in her own words saying: I could not breastfeed my baby for three day because I was not producing breast milk. I realized the baby’s eyes were yellow on the third and sent him to Ridge Hospital, where I was told he has jaundice and it had affected his brain so he will not be normal again. (Participant 2) 3