Interview Involving a Parent with a Child Suffering From Autism

Middle Childhood Development
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Middle Childhood Development
The middle and late childhood period occurs between childhood and adolescence, around six to eleven years. During this development stage, kids acquire greater control over their body movement, learning several motor skills which elude their younger child. Changes in the grain during this early life stage are vital in physical development, greater reasoning, and thought flexibility. Also, school is a massive part of middle and late childhood as it magnifies their world above the limits of their families. However, this stage is also accompanied by several challenges, including diseases, disorders, and disabilities that can impact the overall growth and development of the child. Autism is one of the neurobehavioral syndrome conditions that affect children. Zeidan et al. (2022) stated that approximately 1% (1 in 100) of children are suffering from autism in the world, where the ratio of the disorder among boy-girls is about 4.2. This disorder affects all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups. This excerpt reflects an interview involving a parent with a child suffering from autism, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, processes of development, and community resources for supporting the affected families.
Autism is a syndrome resulting from the incapability of the central nervous system to function appropriately. Children with autism exhibit critical indicators which vary depending on the severity of the condition. These kids are usually unable to respond to their name, avoid eye contact, lack of smile when someone smiles upon them, inability to understand other people feeling or thinking, and irregular speech. Researchers have contended that common risk factors of autism include genetic, parental, and perinatal factors (Gyawali & Patra, 2019). Kids with this condition mainly report re-appearing conditions such as depression, epilepsy, and anxiety. The level of intellectual functioning among people with autism individuals varies widely.
This interview involves a mother talking about her son, who is suffering from autism. The interview involves a series of questions to which the autistic parent responds freely in an open-ended structure. The question the mother of the autistic child reflects on involves the diagnosis (Bostongirltv, 2018, 1:01 -2:30). She asserts that her son was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old. She claims that the child was crying throughout without saying anything. While playing, he could stare at people, wondering why they were all on his face.
On the other hand, the mother explains what she had to do with the child. She explained that she first had to deal with the sped team, and if it did not work, she had to deal with the principal, and if it still did not work, she contacted the special education department looking for help. She proclaims that people wanted to assist her once she joined social media because they were worried about their image. Concerning his son's needs, she claims she is tired of school calls, complaining, and teachers giving her hopes of progress, but during the IEP meetings, she finds no progress. The mother further explains the struggles she encounters raising her son. She claims to have been struggling physically, mentally, and emotionally dealing with the child as he was not talking and crying at times which forced her to start learning sign language to understand him, which she felt was too much (Bostongirltv, 2018, 8:29-8:48). Another challenge she faced was lack of friendship as compared to her life before she gave birth to the child. She could also not do all birthday parties like other families since she understood that her son's head was experiencing much stuff, which he would have to slow down for other children. In addition, she contends that the service providers visiting her home sometimes tend to lack a clue about the resources to offer or where to direct the parents.
Additionally, she reflects on the positive side of being an autistic parent. She purported that autism has helped her learn and understand empathy and being humbled (Bostongirltv, 2018, 10:44-10:58). She is also evolving because she meets other parents and learns that autism is different from each person. While navigating the public school system, she considers it a war as it is constantly her against them or them against her. She declares that the school system becomes ready to help you if you invest much in them, but the support comes with the cost of understanding your policies, procedures, and rights. I would also ask, "What advice would you give to parents who have become autism pare...