Understanding the support experiences of families of children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: A qualitative study.

Milosevic, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1973-8286, Brookes-Howell, Lucy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8263-7130, Randell, Elizabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-3175, Williams-Thomas, Rhys, Delport, Susan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8065-5493, Busse-Morris, Monica ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5331-5909, Gillespie, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6934-2928, Ahuja, Alka, Glarou, Eleni ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5666-2458 and McNamara, Rachel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7280-1611 2022. Understanding the support experiences of families of children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: A qualitative study. Health Expectations 25 (3) , pp. 1118-1130. 10.1111/hex.13465

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Abstract

Background: Support, such as information, advice and therapies, can play a vital role in the lives of families of autistic children. However, little is known about the support experiences of UK parents and carers. Aim: To explore experiences of and access to support for families of children with autism and sensory processing difficulties, from the perspective of parents and carers. Methods: Semi‐structured, timeline‐assisted interviews were conducted with parents/carers of 30 children aged 5–11, exploring experiences of support. Framework analysis was used to identify themes in the interview data. Results: Support varied widely and was not accessed equitably. Specialist autism support, together with support from other parents and voluntary organizations, was perceived as more useful than statutory and nonspecialist provision. Unmet support needs included an ongoing point of contact for information and advice for parents, and access to direct therapy and specialist mental health provision for children.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences Medicine Centre for Trials Research (CNTRR)
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Publisher:	Wiley Open Access
ISSN:	1369-6513
Funders:	NIHR HTA
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 March 2022
Date of Acceptance:	23 February 2022
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2023 02:05
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/148525

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