Social and Emotional Challenges Encounter Jordanian Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The current study aims to identify daily social and emotional challenges encountered by parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its relation to some demographic variables. The study sample consists of 223 parents whose children having a diagnosis of ASD and receiving services at special education institutions in Amman, the capital city of Jordan. A validated scale was developed to measure social and emotional challenges. Findings revealed that while the most common social challenges were lacking social support, anger and aggression were the parents' dominant emotional challenges in this study. The association between the severity of ASD and the level of challenges was positive, whereas it was negative between household income and challenges. Parents of girls with ASD tended to experience a higher level of challenges.