A Research Project on Autism Spectrum Disorder in Woodford

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RESEARCH PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................1
1.0 introduction and background.................................................................................................1
1.1 research aim...........................................................................................................................2
1.2 objectives...............................................................................................................................2
1.3 research question...................................................................................................................2
Chapter 2: Literature review............................................................................................................3
2.0 introduction............................................................................................................................3
2.1 Causes and impact of Autism within society.........................................................................3
2.2 Challenges faced by parents to provide care to autistic children...........................................4
2.3 Challenges faced by care workers to treat autism.................................................................5
Chapter 3: Methodology..................................................................................................................6
3.0 introduction............................................................................................................................6
3.1 theoretical perspective...........................................................................................................6
3.2 design/method........................................................................................................................6
3.3 data collection method...........................................................................................................7
3.4 sampling technique................................................................................................................7
3.5 data presentation & analysis..................................................................................................7
3.6 reliability & validity..............................................................................................................7
3.7 limitations..............................................................................................................................8
3.8 overcoming limitations..........................................................................................................8
3.9 ethical considerations.............................................................................................................8
3.10 research timeline/timeframe................................................................................................8
Chapter 4: Findings and data analysis...........................................................................................10
4.0 introduction..........................................................................................................................10

4.2 Respondents response..........................................................................................................10
Chapter 5: Discussion....................................................................................................................19
5.0 introduction..........................................................................................................................19
5.1 discussion.............................................................................................................................19
5.2 impact of challenges faced by parents.................................................................................19
5.3 strategies to deal with the autistic children..........................................................................20
Chapter 6: Conclusion...................................................................................................................21
6.0 introduction..........................................................................................................................21
6.1 conclusion............................................................................................................................21
6.2 recommendation(s)..............................................................................................................21
References......................................................................................................................................22
Appendix........................................................................................................................................24
Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................24

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Child’s age.......................................................................................................................10
Table 2: Response of child diagnosis............................................................................................11
Table 3: first reaction towards the diagnosis.................................................................................12
Table 4: Response to face difficulty towards child needs.............................................................13
Table 5: Challenges in respect to providing children care............................................................13
Table 6: Response to feeling unsupported.....................................................................................14
Table 7: impact of these challenges...............................................................................................15
Table 8: Coping up with problems................................................................................................16
Table 9: Response to concern about child's future........................................................................17

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Autism prevalence............................................................................................................3
Figure 2: Child’s age.....................................................................................................................10
Figure 3: Response of child diagnosis...........................................................................................11
Figure 4: first reaction towards the diagnosis................................................................................12
Figure 5: Response to face difficulty towards child needs............................................................13
Figure 6: Challenges in respect to providing children care...........................................................14
Figure 7: Response to feeling unsupported...................................................................................15
Figure 8: impact of these challenges.............................................................................................16
Figure 9: Coping up with problems...............................................................................................17
Figure 10: Response to concern about child's future.....................................................................18

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 introduction and background
Autism is generally concerned with the behaviour of Children that have complex
neurobehavioral condition that have problem in social interaction, developmental language,
communication skills, etc. It mainly problem a person generally to interact and communicate. It
is the rising concern in many of the areas that mainly affect on the cognitive functions and
mainly interacting capability of the children. In case if it is not dealt in effective manner it would
result in social development, communication problems, rigid behaviour of children and also
future growth problems (Loomes et.al. 2017).
Children that are autistic are apart from the normal and social life and also not able to meet with
their normal activities. Generally parents of autistic children are not able to support them in
providing basic education as children feel separate from other people and that make them
stressed. In UK, this is one of the serious problems rising in both boys and girls and is serious
problem that is affecting millions of people. However, not only UK, other countries like Japan
and US is also dealing with the problem of autistic children and are trying to search for best
treatment to provide care (Tustin, 2013). Parents of autistic children report on the serious note
that they are not able to easily handle their children and sometimes they get frustrated from the
condition. Along with this, there are social care workers that face difficulty to provide treatment
to such children.
Children mostly that reach the age of 4 are mainly diagnosed but the age of 12 to 24 is the main
age where children have such complex conditions. In this, health and social care workers and
also the family members are the main supporters to cure children from such complex condition.
These supporters are the people that face challenges for providing care to children. However,
study is also based on the specific aim to analysing the problems that is faced by such supported
to provide care to autistic children (Verhoeff, 2012). It is necessary for both parents and care
workers to deal with such children and provide them the best care they deserve.
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1.1 research aim
The aim of the study is to clearly analyse the challenges that are faced by the parents and the
other healthcare workers that care for the children suffering from Autism in Woodford.
1.2 objectives
To conduct the overall research, some of the objectives are being designed below
 To analyse the challenges faced by parents of autistic children
 To evaluate problems that are faced by health and social care workers for caring such
Autistic children in Woodford
 To examine the impact on careers by providing care to autistic children
 To recommend suitable strategies to enhance the dare for autistic children
1.3 research question
The overall research would be done on the basis of achieving the answer for the below research
question.
What are the challenges faced by the parents and health care professional while providing care
to the children suffering from autism spectrum disorder in Woodford?
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Chapter 2: Literature review
2.0 introduction
The current chapter illustrate the information that is being collected from secondary sources that
includes books, journals, articles, etc to have the understanding of the background. Overall
review of literature is collected in context of the autistic children and also the challenges faced
by parents and social care workers in Woodford.
2.1 Causes and impact of Autism within society
As per Growing autism, (2018), research mainly evaluated that impact of autism mainly affect on
the family members and mainly increases the responsibility of the parents that care for the
children. The prevalence in the society is being expected about 1% of the total population that
mainly has the spectrum disorder. Prevalence in the US is mainly estimated at 1 in 59 births.
However, the figure is being increasing and every year 6-15% has been increasing. In the society
as per Yvette Brazier, (2016), boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition
of Autism than girls. Studies in Asia, Europe and North America have identified individuals that
are observed with 1% to 2%. The below image shows the figure of rising autism prevalence and
the figures are needed to be controlled by the government.
Figure 1: Autism prevalence
(Source: Centre for disease control and prevention, 2018)
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In 2014, most of the children were diagnosed than girls in 2014 and the boys are most likely to
be diagnosed. With the growing technology, some amount of autism has been decreased but still
the figures are being displayed that require strict actions to be taken for improving the conditions
of the children Yvette Brazier, (2016). A child with autism mainly feels alone and stay separated
from the society that wants to play alone and mainly not want to change their routines. The
further section reviews the challenges that are being associated by parents and care workers to
provide care to the children.
2.2 Challenges faced by parents to provide care to autistic children
According to Harper et.al. (2013), there are different children that are associated with providing
treatment pre diagnostic stress, diagnosis cost, family life adjustments, parental empowerment,
managing their routine work and mainly coping up with the daily problems. Parents are feeling
sad about their children of not being active in the society and are badly in interaction with other
people. Parents generally suffer from facing low quality life and also face different physical and
mental issues that cause challenges to normal life of the parents and also the children. From the
survey of the nine parents, researcher concludes that parents are very much disturbed from
providing the treatment to the children. Parents feel that care of the children impact their
personal relationship, it impact on their health, lack of support, schooling issues and also
increasing the conditions of stress in the Family.
On average, the autism mainly cost about $60,000 per year through childhood. It requires parents
to spend the cost on providing treatment. For this, financial burden is being increased among the
children and with technology cost of the services is being expected to increase. Mothers of the
Children that have the responsibility to serve their child are unable to work and this leads to
increase the financial pressure on families to care their child. People with autism are not
provided proper feed during their childhood age. As per Rutter and Schopler, (2012), frustration
is one of the common emotion and they feel angry and overwhelmed seeing the condition of
children. Guilty feeling arise among the parents if they are not able to serve their children. It is
necessary for the parents to search for the right diagnosis for their children to have the positive
impact on the life of the children.
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2.3 Challenges faced by care workers to treat autism
Healthcare professional are also one of the carers that provide support in case of Autism
spectrum. They are having the daily frustration of carrying the worry and exhaustion of looking
after someone that are suffering from autism. Professionals have the daily duty to cope up with
the people’s attitude, ignorance and prejudice. Sometimes in the healthcare centres, professionals
are not well informed with the quality information about the interventions that can help. Also
health care professional are frustrated by poor quality of services the healthcare is being
providing and they are not able to recommend the changes in the system Ludlow et.al. (2012).
Children with autism are not able to communicate properly, with this healthcare professional are
not able to meet with the needs of the children.
As per Solomon and Chung, (2012), communication is one of the serious challenges that is faced
by healthcare professional that makes them frustrated from the job and workplace. Children are
also not able to communicate their pain that makes them challenges for care worker to provide
the best possible treatment to the children with autism. It is necessary for the healthcare to
enhance their level of education and training (Neff and Faso, 2015). Health care professionals
generally do not have support of the necessary information about the Autism that hinders
children to gain the quality treatment.
However, the impact of autism leaves direct impact on the daily schedule of parents and the
caregivers and it require these both supporters to find alternative solutions for reducing the
impact of autism. It is required for caregivers to search for the better solution for providing the
treatment to children and also balancing their personal life. Studies convey that early diagnosis
and intervention can lead to impact on curing the life of children from the earlier stage. The
sooner the diagnosis is made; the sooner children are able to get recover and gain access through
speech and other types of therapy Verhoeff, (2012). Parents need to gain proper knowledge about
the growing autism and actions are required to be taken to serve right care to the children.
It is necessary for parents and care givers to gain the right training at right time to separate their
personal life and also devote some of their time to children. It is possible to avoid the challenges
that are faced by the parents and the care givers.
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Chapter 3: Methodology
3.0 introduction
Research methodology is being concerned as the suitable perspective to plan about the
knowledge that is being gained regarding the suitable topic. It is mainly consist of the tools and
techniques that are being applied in carrying out the overall research. This chapter consist of the
suitable tools that are required to achieve necessary analysis of the research. In this current study,
methodology is concerned about the knowledge that is gained about the concept with the process
of data collection (Kumar, 2019).
3.1 theoretical perspective
The philosophy guided to understand the concept of the study that is mainly concerned as the
positivistic approach. Positivism is mainly the theory of science that mainly helps to collect the
scientific analysis of the complete source of information and with definitive information
(Mackey and Gass, 2015). This helps researcher to collect the scientific information through the
help of quantitative techniques that helps to meet with the objectives of the study. Methodology
helps the researcher to carry out knowledge that is gained about the suitable topic with the
specific investigation.
3.2 design/method
This includes researcher to use the suitable method that is used to examine the research questions
and result expected and also it matches with the nature of the research. There are generally two
methods for conducting the research. One of the methods includes qualitative method and other
one includes quantitative method. The study mainly used the quantitative method as the
instrument questionnaire is being used that is being distributed to 15 parents that are currently
carrying for the autistic children. This is one of the accurate and reliable methods as it help to
collect generalise results (Flick, 2015). The data is being collected with the prior consent of the
researcher keeping in mind the ethics of the researcher. The data collected is then presented in
the form of tables, charts, etc that helps to analyse suitable conclusion from the research.
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3.3 data collection method
There are basically two types of data collection method that depends upon the researcher to
choose according to it matches with the nature of the research. These methods include both
primary and secondary data collection method. In current research, the data is being collected
from the primary method as questionnaire is the kind of primary data collection method. The
researcher has used 15 participants that are mainly the parents that will help to give information
about the suitable challenges that are being associated with providing the care to autistic
children.
3.4 sampling technique
Sampling is the suitable process that is used in the statistical analysis in which predetermined
observations is being taken from the larger available size of population. This is the concerned
methodology that is using the sample from the large population but it mainly depends upon the
type of analysis being performed. In current research, random sampling method is being chosen
to mainly avoid the nature of human bias with the selection of people to be included in research
(Quinlan et.al. 2019). In current research, sample size is being taken as 15 parents that would
express their opinion about the challenges they are facing in caring their autistic children.
Questionnaire mainly contain open ended question that will help in collecting the primary data.
3.5 data presentation & analysis
In current research, data analysis is referred to as the procedure embarked by the researcher to
interpret the information that is being assembled from the respondents. Data is being presented in
the study with the help of tables and pie charts and response by the parents is being effectively
analysed.
3.6 reliability & validity
The data is being collected from the accurate and authentic source and the researcher have
designed the open ended questionnaire and also appropriate consent is being taken by the
respondents to show their active participation in the research. The available resources in the form
of cost and time are being effectively utilised that will help researcher to complete the research
on time and as per the resources.
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