Qualitative survey for parents/carers of autistic children (trigger warning)

[Kprsn]

Trigger warning


Hello! I am PhD researcher conducting a project on understanding and responding to the therapeutic needs of autistic children who have experienced physical abuse.
I am currently looking for parents, guardians, or caregivers of autistic children who have experienced physical abuse for a qualitative survey. This survey aims to explore the experiences and therapeutic needs of autistic children who have experienced physical abuse. This survey is part of a wider research project which will help to make recommendations for a tailored therapeutic intervention.

Must be 18+ to participate. This study has been given ethical approval by the University of Gloucestershire: REC 21.88.2

Link to survey: Qualitative survey for parents, guardians, and caregivers

Withdraw information:
You are free to withdraw from the survey (without giving a reason) at any point during the survey itself by simply closing your browser, your data will not be saved. You may also withdraw your data within 2 weeks of your participation by emailing the researcher with your unique identifier (which you will be asked to create once you complete the survey).

Please feel free to share the link with anyone who might be interested! Thank you!

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Why are you only looking for carers of autistic children who have suffered physical abuse (i. e. second hand information) rather than adult autistic people who suffered physical abuse as children?

If your research focuses on the effect of physical abuse on autistic children, the second group would be more relevant as they can speak about the effect had on their lives, from when they were children to the current day, and the info is first hand, not secondary. You are also more likely to find participants here belonging to the second category.

 

[Kprsn]

Hi! Thank you for your question.

I have included the voices of autistic adults who have experienced abuse through a separate survey, but at the moment the survey for parents, guardians, and caregivers is the one that's open as it's been seemingly more difficult to find people for that one. I'm taking a wide approach for my research and am trying to get both, firsthand information, and parent/caregiver information as I've found through my experience and research that parents/caregivers are an integral part of therapy as well. Hope that clears it up!

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

It does make sense, as a child will relate different to having experienced abuse, than an adult would, after years of processing and maturity.

 

[Ella Spell]

Can the abuse be from one of their family members or does it need to be from an institution like school, or a caregiver employed to work with autistic children?

 

[Crossbreed]

The boundaries of physical abuse seem vague.

1. There is criminal assault & battery.
2. There is corporal punishment that is still used in some cultures. It can be somewhat effective on NTs & ASD1s, but less so for ASD2 & 3.*
3. There is mild corporal punishment, like swatting baby's hand away from a hot stove, etc.
4. There is even self-defense.

#2-4 are practiced without malice.

If we have to argue where rearing ends and abuse begins, such a survey will yield unclear results.

I am an ASD1 father of NT children & ASD children of all three severity levels.

*It is less effective for other conditions, too, like giftedness & certain mental illnesses.

 

[Kprsn]

Can the abuse be from one of their family members or does it need to be from an institution like school, or a caregiver employed to work with autistic children?

Thanks for your question, the abuse can be from anyone.

 

[Kprsn]

The boundaries of physical abuse seem vague.

1. There is criminal assault & battery.
2. There is corporal punishment that is still used in some cultures. It can be somewhat effective on NTs & ASD1s, but less so for ASD2 & 3.*
3. There is mild corporal punishment, like swatting baby's hand away from a hot stove, etc.
4. There is even self-defense.

#2-4 are practiced without malice.

If we have to argue where rearing ends and abuse begins, such a survey will yield unclear results.

I am an ASD1 father of NT children & ASD children of all three severity levels.

*It is less effective for other conditions, too, like giftedness & certain mental illnesses.

The boundaries can be vague and some people have subjective definitions for what constitutes physical abuse. In my survey I do ask about the nature of the abuse and what happened. As this survey is trying to gain an insight into the experiences of autistic children who have experienced abuse, I think it's important to understand what each person might consider physical abuse, to better understand how it might have affected them.

 

[Crossbreed]

I agree that ineffective corporal punishment can be perceived as abuse by an ASD2+ child --and would constitute abuse if continued-- but so much of parenting is trial & error and honest errors are not abuse on the parents' part.

We have had corporal punishment work under the strangest circumstance. My ASD2 son was in diapers a little longer than others. When he was about four he used to bang his head on our slab-based floor --for fun-- until he got a goose egg on his forehead. One day, we gave him a swat on his diaper (not his bare skin*) and he stopped...! The pain on his forehead was certainly more than the noise on his diaper --but it worked!

I have swatted my ASD3 daughter's thigh (just enough to sting) to get her to release me from her determined bite, but at no other time. If she could talk, she might consider that abuse.

*Comparable to to a swat through a pillow.