A Group Study On Mutual Support Among Parents Of Autistic Children In J Community Of Kunming

Autism is a kind of pervasive developmental disorder,which can seriously harm the physical and mental health of children.Most people with autism are unable to care for themselves and need lifelong care.At present,China’s social welfare system on autism is limited,and the scope of assistance is small,has not formed a sound assistance system.In the long-term upbringing process,parents are often in a state of high pressure and face a variety of challenges.Therefore,we should pay attention to the parents of autistic children and effectively relieve their pressure.Based on the social support theory and the empowerment theory,this paper,based on the author’s 6-month professional internship in X institution,adopted the method of interview and participatory observation to learn about the current situation of parents of autistic children in J community of Kunming City.On this basis,taking 16 parents of autistic children in J community as the research object,this paper divides their parents into three types according to the length of time they take care of autistic children,namely,taking care of them mainly by mother,taking care of them mainly by father and taking care of them mainly by the older generation.Social support theory and enhancement theory are used to help parents of autistic children establish mutual assistance relationship.Help parents of autistic children establish a paradigm of receiving,self-help and mutual assistance,and enhance the sustainability of services,including psychological,family,cultural and economic levels.Parents get mutual support in the mutual support group,and peer mutual support between parents provides a breathing opportunity and brings some psychological comfort to each other.In this paper,8 group activities were carried out from 4 stages.The parents’ mutual support group first encourages parents to express their needs bravely,guides parents to share emotional regulation skills,learns from each other’s experiences through sharing and communication,and provides support to group members in the form of mutual assistance.Finally,it reflects on the problems and deficiencies existing in the practice process of the group,and makes assumptions from the level of professional social workers and communities,so as to explore the practical attempts of the group work to intervene in the mutual support of parents of autistic children.Through the research,it is found that parents’ mutual support group has applicability in relieving the pressure of parents of autistic children.For different types of parents,attention should be paid to both common needs and individual development.The author draws the following conclusions:(1)For those who mainly care for their mothers,emotional counseling should be strengthened to strive for breathing services;(2)task-oriented and learning needs focused on paternal care;(3)Those who take care of the older generation of parents mainly need to improve the social security system and provide mutual support.Parents can learn the nurturing knowledge of autistic children,experience and skills of emotional regulation in the mutual support group,and gain experience,help and support through sharing among group members,so as to relieve psychological pressure and realize mutual help between parents.