Parents' Experiences during Child’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis Process

Current research has shown a substantial increase in the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study aims to explore parents' experiences in getting their child's autism diagnosis. The research design is a mixed research through a survey using a questionnaire as an instrument that also contains several open questions. A total of 110 respondents who were parents of children with ASD were involved in this study. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively. The findings of the study show that parents are very satisfied with the information shared by professional officials regarding their child’s condition. Parents also stated that they need information that can help them get the appropriate intervention or education for their child after the diagnosis process. This study also found that parents experienced high emotional stress during the diagnosis process due to financial problems such as high diagnosis costs and pressure from family and community members who do not understand the issues faced by their children. Support for parents after the diagnosis process should continue in order to reduce the burden and stress they bear. The findings of this study could be a guide so that better services can be channelled to parents during and after their child's diagnosis process. Further studies need to be conducted to identify the types of services that can be channelled to these parents after the diagnosis process.