Stress and Psychological Well Being in Families With Autistic Children

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Parents of children with autism often suffer from stress and anxiety. Dealing with children with autism places extraordinary demands on the shoulder of parents that can be added over the usual parental daily work and responsibilities. Compounding the needs and work load of the family members to the responsibilities of raising a child with autism can be multiplied and easily create a hectic situation where parents feel the pressure under such circumstances and suffer psychological symptoms that can be overwhelming to both parents and siblings of children with autism. Children with autism suffer a myriad of social, behavioral, and language abnormalities. An individual with such a dense profile can have a huge impact on the normal functioning of the family. In this short essay, I’ll present the reasons behind this abnormal profile of these individuals and the effects of such symptoms on the family adjustment and work load. Secondly, I’ll provide some suggestions that can help alleviate parental and siblings suffering during primary years of the child’s life. It is apparent that children with autism places more psychological and physical burden over the shoulders of their parents and siblings than children with normal intellectual intelligence. There are many reasons that attest to this hypothesis. Firstly, a child with autism usually suffers from a degree of mental retardation combined with language problems. This collective disability can be manifested through the individuals’ inability to express his/her wants and needs. In such case, families are forced to figure out what is that their child is trying to communicate through their inappropriate behaviors such as screaming or tantruming. The process of determining the causes of... ... middle of paper ... ...ual fulfillment and religious support can play a strong role in overcoming major hurdles in a person’s life. Other ways that can help with individuals who care for a person with a disability is to involve in psychological counseling that can offer alternative ways to think about the problem and find solutions for stress that can help lessen the impact of stress on the individual’s well being and ability to function clearly. There can be many more ways that can help minimize stress in the family’s life especially with a child with autism. The provided suggestions are not intended to be an exhaustive list but to mention some. Parents should be clear about the importance of their role in their child’s life; therefore, they must take care of their well being and functioning to be able to take care of the individual with autism and the other siblings if there are any.

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