Findings
From subjective outcome evaluation to thematic analyses, we have gained different insights from our workshop participants. Below are three of the major themes related to their needs.
Communication Patterns
A common communication pattern we discovered from the narratives of our workshop participants was that most of the children with ASD communicate with their parents through non-verbal means. Notable examples include drawing to highlight their thoughts and body language to express their emotions. Owing to this factor, parents hope that this workshop will not only provide a safe environment for their children to express themselves, but also an opportunity to develop their potential.
During our pre-workshop interview with the participants, even though the exact situation varies from family to family, all parents have expressed the lack of understanding from other people as one of the major challenges in daily life. For instance, when other family members such as siblings or grandparents lack the understanding towards the condition of the child with ASD, then conflicts may arise frequently. In addition, the society's lack of understanding towards the condition may also serve as a source of stress for parents.
Daily Challenges
Parent-Child Relationship
According to our participants, even though parents share a satisfactory relationship with their child, they nevertheless encounter difficulties in disciplining their child. They attributed this phenomena towards insufficient understanding on their children's behaviors, which they hope to explore more during the workshop. They also believe enjoyable shared activities to be a key to good parent-child relationship.