Reflections on Face-to-Face and Online Self-Help Group Participation: Comparing the Views of Persons with Autism with Those of Parents Speaking for Their Autistic Children
Irene Carter
Rob Wilson
DOI: 10.2190/SH.5.4.g
Abstract
Autism affects people according to a range of mild to severe symptoms and with varying challenges in the areas of social interactions, communication, and behavior. Can self-help groups become a resource for persons with autism in these problem areas? The researchers explore and compare the views of persons with autism with those of parents speaking on behalf of their autistic children regarding their respective experiences and/or attitudes with face-to-face and online self-help group participation through 10 audio-taped interviews and other methods common to the qualitative method. The authors identified two types of participant: persons with autism who spoke on their own behalf and the parents who spoke on behalf of autistic children. All participants agreed that online groups presented a greater level of challenge in terms of providing the opportunity for social involvement than did face-to-face groups. However, while parents focused on concerns regarding social skills training, persons with autism who spoke on their own behalf stressed the need for opportunities to develop friendships. This research is significant for facilitators and practitioners when creating self-help group strategies to promote social interaction in that it distinguishes between the different priorities of children with autism and their parents.
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