Assessment of family knowledge toward their children with autism spectrum disorder at Al-Hilla City, Iraq

Abstract

Background: The parents lay the foundations for the lives of their children. When a child is born with a developmental disorder, parents also need support in maintaining normal developmental abilities. There’s no way of predicting when a child can master self-help skills. Parents should be assisted, including the child’s primary caregiver and teacher, and must also include sufficient details on the treatment, disease state and commercially accessible tools that can help their children gain independence. Aims: This study aims to assess the family knowledge toward their children With Autism Spectrum Disorder at Al-Hilla City, Iraq Method: This quantitative study using a descriptive correlational design to study the assessment of Family Knowledge toward their children With Autism at Al-Hilla City. A convenience sample of (n=50) consisting of families. Data were selected over two months from the first of September 2019 to the first of November 2019. Results: showed significant differences in autism disorder knowledge between age group. Conclusion: Knowledge of the family of Autism spectrum disorder at Hila is on the moderate and differs significantly by age, education, and location. Consequently, it is recommended that autism disorder education should be used to improve their knowledge of the disorder, especially for those with non-formal education, older parents and those in the rural areas, through intervention by government and non-government agencies.