| Description |
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, diet, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Understandably, when a child is diagnosed with autism, concern and support shifts almost entirely from the parent to the child. There is a lack of services available to parents of children with autism. The parent's needs often are not addressed and they are left with few outlets to help them cope with the difficulties of raising a child with autism. Parents of children with autism have few venues to share their stories, experiences, hopes, fears and needs. For my project, I chose to create digital stories with five parents of children with autism. These stories highlight a need for better availability of services for parents who have children with autism and illustrate the need for parents to have safe spaces to share their stories with one another and the community. Through the creation of these digital stories, my participants were given the space to tell their story. |
