Acknowledging Mother’s Lived Experience Of Raising A Child With Autism: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Recent reports indicate that the autism spectrum disorders affect 3 in 2000 children. We have over 400 million children, this means there are 600 thousand children with autism in China and also means there are many families caring for children with autism. Mothers are often the main caregivers of children with autism. So this research wanted to describe the experience of mothers about how to change the existing way of life and themselves for their children.This study utilised a phenomenogical approach to look at mothers as the best-informed authority to explore and describe their lived realities and experiences of rasing their children with autism. The researcher utilised semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews as method of data collection. From six mothers, we have six data. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with hermeneutic circle and hermeneutic spiral-versthehen. Five themes were merged.Theme one:(1) embracing hearts with mixed feelings.When a child is born, the mothers will begin to enjoy the good feeling of motherhood. Although some time the mothers will feel bad, but in general this is a pleasant journey. When the mother find something different in the development of their child, they will be confused until the child is diagnosed with autism. At that time, they will feel despair, frustation and in helplessness. But with the day going by, the cute face and warm behaviors of the child also give the mother a chance to be relieved and happy.Theme two:(2)staggering forward an fumbling for ways.Mothers of children with autism don’t know how to educate their children because of lack of information, so they try a variety of ways to deal with children’s problems. But it is still failed. Then mothers are disappointed in their children. But when mothers know the problems of their children clearly, they will adjust the attitude and the behaviors to their children.Theme three:(3) engaging in communicating to seek for various resource.The help from mothers’husband is the most impotant support for the mother. Mothers also actively strive for the other resources and creat some resources. Mothers of children with autism, like other mothers, also play some different roles, and try their best to get more support.Theme four:(4) sacrificing self for family.Home is a special space for our experience. Mothers of children with autism always stay in home and have no time to have a break. Under the influence of traditional culture of motherhood, They take the whole resposbility of taking care of children. The prolem behaviors of their children and the dark future make mothers feel "stifled" and "crash". But because of the nature of a mother and the progress of child mothers are willing to sacrifice for their famlies.Theme five:(5)setting the hearts free to face the future.When the mothers know their children deeply, they will tend to be relax. They will give the space for the development fo their children and will not set a goal as high as before, but only hope their children be safe and healthy.Based on the above findings, this study found the essential characteristics of the lived experience of the mother raising the children with autism. It is a constantly dynamic process for resistance and help in the battle and from a negative experience to positive experience then to negative experience. The lived experience is the process that mothers practice their love and responsibilities under the traditional view of motherhood. The personality of mothers, the disabled degree of the child, social support and the power of motherhood are the key factors to the lived experience.Finally, this study tried to give some suggestions for the mother and families of children with autism, social and educational workers, the government and the future research.