An exploration of the experiences of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders who have decided to have another child

The prevalence rate for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has increased drastically in recent years, affecting an increasing number of children and families. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network released data in late 2009 that found 1 in 110 eight-year-old children were diagnosed with an ASD. Research has shown that the birth of a child with a developmental disability has shown to have a major impact on subsequent family planning (Black, 1979 Bums et al., 1984 De Braekeleer et al., 1994 Evers-Kiebooms, Denayer, & Van den Berghe, 1990 MacInnes, 2008), which is referred to as the "stoppage rules" (Jones & Szatmari, 1988). Because ASD can include severe impairments and excessive behavioral concerns that have a devastating effect on family life, many families with a child with ASD choose to abide by these "stoppage rules" and limit subsequent childbearing. There is limited qualitative research that captures a parent's emotional experience of having a child with ASD, especially research that looks at families who decide to have more children after a child is diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the experiences of mothers of children with ASD and their decision to have another child. The objectives of this study were to discover and examine the factors that go into the decision process to go ahead and have more children when so many other families decide to abide by the "stoppage rules."This study utilized an interview-based qualitative research approach as a means of exploring the personal experiences of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and their decision to have another child. Twelve mothers of children with ASD who have decided to have another child participated in a semi-structured interview. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994), allowing for the identification of salient themes that were organized into three categories: Mothers' experiences on their transition to motherhood with their first child, their experiences parenting a child with ASD, and their decision process to have a second child. Within these categories, thirteen major themes, two minor themes, and seven additional findings emerged. Many of the themes that mothers in the current study expressed about their experience parenting a child with ASD had not previously been looked at in the literature, such as having a strong attachment to their child, having a high perception of maternal self-efficacy, and the fact that their child was very affectionate. Other themes that emerged were consistent with previous literature such as having a perceived increased number of stressors compared to parents of typically developing children, and these stressors causing strains in their relationships. Interesting findings included that the participants tended to focus on her child's positive characteristics when describing her child, and that the perceived benefits of having a second child outweighed all of the perceived risks and or additional stressors. Clinical implications as well as a proposed model of mothers' decision process to have another child after the first child is diagnosed with an ASD are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.