Coping with Autism

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As any parent will tell you, raising children is a difficult task - time consuming, stressful, and emotional. From their child’s birth, parents are charged with guiding and nurturing their offspring, giving praise and punishment when necessary, educating about the ways of life, and dealing with every kind of pressure imaginable. Even when raising a normal, healthy child, parents must develop ways of coping with the day-to-day pressures that result from parenting. For parents whose children have autism however, finding effective coping skills is not only challenging, but essential to maintaining a healthy mental state (Coping). Having not only seen numerous children with autism, but also growing up with a younger brother who has autism, the author of this paper wonders - what are these coping methods? Which ones are most effective? And why are they so important?
What is autism?
Autism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a variable developmental disorder [...] characterized by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, [...] to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns” (Autism). Though broadly defined, this is for a good reason - autism, rather than being a mental disorder with specific symptoms and signs, is a disorder marked by a combined spectrum of symptoms. The symptoms of autism vary from individual to individual in severity, and number. 60% of those with autism have average, or even above average intelligence; only about 40 percent of those who have autism have an intellectual disability, where their IQ is less than 70 (Frequently). Subsequently, although their are those who, despite their autism, lead relatively normal lives, there are those whose autism is severe e...

... middle of paper ...

...imately, in the end, for those children with autism.

Works Cited

Citations

"Frequently Asked Questions." Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks Inc., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

Gray, David E. "Coping with autism: Stresses and strategies." Sociology of Health & Illness 16.3 (1994): 275-300.

Montes, Guillermo, and Jill S. Halterman. "Psychological functioning and coping among mothers of children with autism: a population-based study."Pediatrics 119.5 (2007): e1040-e1046.

Pottie, Colin G., and Kathleen M. Ingram. "Daily stress, coping, and well-being in parents of children with autism: a multilevel modeling approach." Journal of Family Psychology 22.6 (2008): 855.

Hall, Heather R. "Families Of Children With Autism: Behaviors Of Children, Community Support And Coping." Issues In Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing 35.2 (2012): 111-132. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

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