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It is reported that the thesis section is available, to publish abstracts of postgraduate theses in the disciplinary field. Who submits your thesis, must present the title, abstract, key words (include Occupational Therapy), and a summary of 2 to 3 pages of your thesis. And `present it in Spanish, English and / or Portuguese.

Experiences of families with children in the autism spectrum

Authors

  • Erna Imperatore Therapy West, Inc
  • Kohn Nurith Berstein University Southern California
  • Sebastian Gallegos Berrios Departamento de Terapia Ocupacional y Ciencia de la Ocupación. Universidad de Chile
  • Sandra Mella Díaz Departamento de Terapia Ocupacional y Ciencia de la Ocupación. Universidad de Chile http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4870-2071
  • Viviana Riquelme Echeverría Departamento de Terapia Ocupacional y Ciencia de la Ocupación. Universidad de Chile
  • Rodrigo Sepúlveda Prado Departamento de Terapia Ocupacional y Ciencia de la Ocupación. Universidad de Chile
Vol. 20 No. 2 (2020): Diciembre
https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5346.2020.60538

Abstract

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased alarmingly globally, estimating that 1 in 54 children has ASD (Maenner et al., 2020). In Latin America the statistics are less clear, but a similar number is estimated. In most countries the diagnosis is made several months or years after the appearance of the first signs, this represents a stressful period for families due to the unusual behaviors of their children and the possible disability or developmental delay (Schieve et al. al., 2007). Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of families with children with ASD before and immediately after diagnosis. The responses of 48 families from Chile, Argentina, Peru and Guatemala obtained through an online survey were analyzed. Results: The results indicate that families are aware of the peculiarities in the development of their children before receiving a diagnosis and intervention, many of these peculiarities have sensory characteristics. Conclusion: This study validates the parents’ experience and at the same time contributes to the understanding of the first signs of ASD in Hispanic families and the effect that these have on family dynamics. Many of these early signs are related to sensory processing.

Keywords:

Autism Spectrum Disorder, Life Change Events, Family Relations, Early Diagnosis

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How to Cite
Imperatore, E., Berstein, K. N., Gallegos Berrios, S., Mella Díaz, S., Riquelme Echeverría, V., & Sepúlveda Prado, R. (2020). Experiences of families with children in the autism spectrum. Revista Chilena De Terapia Ocupacional, 20(2), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5346.2020.60538
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Revista Chilena de Terapia Ocupacional
Facultad de Medicina
Universidad de Chile
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