A family raising an autistic child is a system with established relationships in which the child has a specific place. The tendency of an autistic child to create non-standard situations affects relationships and the structure of duties in the family. In this regard, the morale and lifestyle of other family members may also be subject to pressure. To combat the causes and possible consequences, it is necessary to work with a psychologist for the whole family.
For an autistic child, the family is the first model of society in which he or she will have to establish interaction, the first source of socialization. A family acts as the strongest mental factor that affects the child and largely determines his future development. The birth of a child with developmental disabilities is an abruptness for the whole family. The family is faced with a large number of difficulties associated with the organization of the child’s life, communication, education, and misunderstanding on the part of others (Becerra-Culqui et al., 2018). Therefore, parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives are usually immersed in prolonged stress as they may be forced to sacrifice their own interests.
Therefore, a family can find itself in a crisis situation, which is characterized by emotional and intellectual stress, requiring a significant change in ideas about the world, oneself, and prospects for further existence in a fairly short period of time. Family members in a crisis situation go through certain stages from the growth of tension to the mobilization of external and internal resources. If the actions at one stage taken turn out to be unsuccessful, disorganization of the personality can occur (Rigles, 2019). Moreover, there is a common increase in anxiety, possibility of depression as well as the condition in which the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness appear.
Although autistic children are symbiotically dependent on their relatives, they do not respond adequately to their presence or absence. Children may be anxious in the absence of a mother and at the same time not show a reaction to her presence. Less often than the indifferent reaction to the mother, there is a negative reaction, when children try to drive their mother away from themselves and show hostility towards her. These forms of communication with the mother can be replaced by a healthier option (Becerra-Culqui et al., 2018). While emotional reactions of autistic patients are different, in most cases, it is possible to establish and develop an emotional connection between them and family.
Help for the families of children with autism can be organized through the right combination of specialized training, education programs and support. The goal is to learn how to make the most of the skills autistic children have in order to compensate for shortcomings. Therefore, it should be valuable for parents to learn as much as possible about autism and about the specific form that their child suffers from (Rigles, 2019). A psychologist can help support the entire family of a child with autism.
The program of psychological and pedagogical support for a family with a child with autism spectrum disorders should be based on priority functions of education and communication development. The main goals of psychological and pedagogical support are to increase the sensitivity of parents to the problems of the child and reduce the emotional discomfort in connection with the child’s illness (Rigles, 2019). As a result, it is important to form adequate ideas about the potential of the child, and optimize their pedagogical potential.
Interpersonal relationships and the adequacy of the parents in understanding the state of their child is studied by a psychologist to form a model of an individual educational route of the family. Moreover, it is used to develop a program of early comprehensive care for a child, and a family with a child with autism. Further, the role of a family psychologist allows to create a model of interaction with special institutions, differentiate the methods of drug correction, psychological and pedagogical measures. An important role in the effectiveness of psychological support for parents is played by the creation of various forms of group interaction between parents and other members of the society, as well as the active involvement of parents in the medical and psychological-pedagogical process (Lichtle et al., 2020). All stages of a child’s development should be supported by the complex interaction of specialists.
Firstly, it is important to diagnose the social status of the family. Secondly, a psychologist should develop a program of education and training for parents, comprehensive diagnostic examination of the mental state of children, and a comprehensive examination of the individual structure of disorders to determine the degree of the primary defect (Tokatly et al., 2021). The pathological syndromes and issues of the family are used to monitor children and teach parents how to interact with children with autism.
After identifying the problems of a particular family, the psychologist can influence the lifestyle and internal communication. Correction of the internal psychological state of the family, teaching parents how to interact and communicate with children with autism syndrome are few of the functions a professional doctor can perform within a family (Lichtle et al., 2020). Correctional and developmental activities and games can simplify the life and interaction of the family.
The creation of a system of psychological, pedagogical and social support can reduce the risk of a complete family life dedication to a child with autism. Early comprehensive support will help the family adapt to new living conditions, create adequate conditions for its education and upbringing for the optimal, harmonious development of the child and the prevention of secondary deviations. Additionally, the support system can minimize the possibility of deviations in the psychological health of parents, brothers, sisters, or other relatives (Tokatly et al., 2021). Moreover, such a system can optimize the development of a particular child, which to a large extent contributes to reducing the social and medical risk for the whole family.
In conclusion, psychological support is an important link in the system of psychological and pedagogical assistance to parents of children with autism. The aim of the study is to help families by studying the factors and mechanisms that contribute to reducing the risk of the level of affective regulation, diagnosing and correcting existing deviations in a child at the earliest stages. As a result, continuous psychological and pedagogical support for children and their families should be provided by a psychologist for the successful development of the child and intra family communication.
References
Becerra-Culqui, T. A., Lynch, F. L., Owen-Smith, A. A., Spitzer, J., & Croen, L. A. (2018). Parental first concerns and timing of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(10), 3367-3376. Web.
Lichtle, J., Downes, N., Engelberg, A., & Cappe, E. (2020). The effects of parent training programs on the quality of life and stress levels of parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the literature.Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 7(3), 242-262. Web.
Reddy, G., Fewster, D. L., & Gurayah, T. (2019). Parents’ voices: Experiences and coping as a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49(1), 43-50. Web.
Rigles, B. (2019). The development of health lifestyles in families experiencing disability.Journal of Family Issues, 40(7), 929-953. Web.
Tokatly, I. T., Leitner, Y., & Karnieli-Miller, O. (2021). Core experiences of parents of children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.Autism, 25(4), 1047-1059. Web.