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A narrative study of the experiences of immigrant parents in caring for their child with autism Wallace, Glenda
Abstract
This study explored the experiences of immigrant parents caring for their child with autism. It has been suggested that families living with a child with autism are more likely to experience higher levels of stress compared to families who have typical children. Increased stress is also evident in immigrant families as they are exposed to new beliefs, values, and world views. Literature suggests that the experience of immigrant families and autism has not been explored. Hence, an exploratory investigation was conducted to investigate questions pertaining to these parents' experiences, and to generate questions for further research. A narrative paradigm was employed and focused on the experiences of three pairs of immigrant parents caring for a child with autism. The participants interviewed shared their experiences from their countries of origin; their current situations in Vancouver, B.C.; and their speculations and insights about the future. The narrative interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed to develop a rich description of the participants' experiences. A systems - ecological approach was used to examine the topics in terms of relationships and subsequently applied to Christa Hoffman-Riem's conceptualization of "emotional normalization" (Hoffman-Riem, 1980). Each of the experiences described in this study was unique and reflected the experiences of the primary participants from their own perspectives. Parents were primarily concerned about their child with autism as compared to the stresses related to immigration. From these experiences, common issues emerged in areas such as behaviour; social support; communication; family functioning styles and family related concerns; general stress; self-care; religion and spirituality; integration; finances; child care; formal and informal support systems; parent advocacy; education and related services; independence and future concerns.
Item Metadata
Title |
A narrative study of the experiences of immigrant parents in caring for their child with autism
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1998
|
Description |
This study explored the experiences of immigrant parents caring for their child
with autism. It has been suggested that families living with a child with autism are more
likely to experience higher levels of stress compared to families who have typical
children. Increased stress is also evident in immigrant families as they are exposed to new
beliefs, values, and world views. Literature suggests that the experience of immigrant
families and autism has not been explored. Hence, an exploratory investigation was
conducted to investigate questions pertaining to these parents' experiences, and to
generate questions for further research. A narrative paradigm was employed and focused
on the experiences of three pairs of immigrant parents caring for a child with autism. The
participants interviewed shared their experiences from their countries of origin; their
current situations in Vancouver, B.C.; and their speculations and insights about the
future. The narrative interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed to develop a
rich description of the participants' experiences. A systems - ecological approach was
used to examine the topics in terms of relationships and subsequently applied to Christa
Hoffman-Riem's conceptualization of "emotional normalization" (Hoffman-Riem, 1980).
Each of the experiences described in this study was unique and reflected the
experiences of the primary participants from their own perspectives. Parents were
primarily concerned about their child with autism as compared to the stresses related to
immigration. From these experiences, common issues emerged in areas such as
behaviour; social support; communication; family functioning styles and family related
concerns; general stress; self-care; religion and spirituality; integration; finances; child
care; formal and informal support systems; parent advocacy; education and related
services; independence and future concerns.
|
Extent |
5355919 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-05-28
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0053951
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1998-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.