A Qualitative Research On The Parenting Styles Of Autistic Families For Their Second Children

Autistic Families have become a hot spot for researchers in the field of special education.As the arrival of the "second child wave",increasing autistic families choose to have a second child.The ordinary second child growing up in such a family will be influenced by the parenting style.Focusing on the parenting style can improve well growth of the second child.Nevertheless,few studies have laid the emphases on the parenting styles of ordinary children in autistic families.In this study,we interpreted the parenting styles of seven autistic families toward their second children from four dimensions: parenting philosophy,parenting atmosphere,parenting roles,and parenting interactions.It put the interview as the main method,and the text analysis method as a supplement to collect primary data.Data were analyzed in the form of three-level coding from open coding to core coding.It concludes from three aspects,such as externalized form,characteristics and influencing factors of the parenting style of ordinary second child in autistic families.First,the externalized forms of autistic families’ parenting styles toward their second child included positive parenting experiences,negative reflections on lessons,and confusion and struggles in parenting.Every family interviewed had positive parenting experiences,such as giving positive meaning to negative events to improve their own parenting mindset or actively using school resources;and it also inevitably presents parenting lessons that being worth learning from,such as parents’ neglect of self-development leading to a solidified parenting mindset,which had a negative impact on parenting styles.Second,the parenting styles of autistic families towards their second children showed the following characteristics: clearer parenting roles,more harmonious parenting atmosphere,and more flexible parenting interactions,while the power of school has influenced on the improvements of parenting philosophy.Third,the parenting style of autistic families towards their ordinary second children is influenced by four aspects: the parenting experience of their autistic eldest child,the degree of sibling closeness,communication and interaction style,the inferiority complex and positive experience during the home-school cooperation process,as well as the depth involvement and lifelong involvement of grandparents in the parenting process.Finally,this study proposes the following recommendations to improve the parenting styles of autistic families for second children: 1.innovate home-school cooperation and establish a home-school alliance of autistic families to promote parenting experiences.2.set up parent training courses to enhance parenting abilities and optimize parenting styles.3.change parents’ perceptions and increase fathers’ involvement in parenting.4.enhance grandparents’ awareness of scientific parenting and reduce their negative impact of parenting style.