Living with an autistic child: feelings of the family

Abstract

The present work had the objective of identifying the meaning of autism for family members, as well as the involvement of the family in the treatment/attendance of the child. To this end, a qualitative methodology was used, and the following subjects were found: difficulty in social interaction and communication, referred as difficulty in using language for communication, or in noticing other people; diverse feelings of the mother regarding the autistic child and involvement/dependence of the family in relation to the child care. We noticed that it is essential that health working professionals are aware of the most common problems faced by the autistic children's parents, so they are able to assist and minimize the family suffering.