Parental Views and Experiences on the Instruction of Safety Skills to Children with ASD

Abstract

Introduction: The problems in social interaction and communication, limited interest, and repetitive behavior observed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increase the vulnerability of these children to security risks. Research demonstrated that children with ASD are more vulnerable to security risks when compared to children with typical development. The present study aimed to determine the views and experiences of parents of children with ASD on safety skills and instruction of these skills. Method: The study was designed with the descriptive model. Participants were assigned with the criterion sampling, maximum variation sampling, and convenience sampling methods. The study data were collected from 43 parents in semi-structured interviews and analyzed with the descriptive approach. Findings: More than half of the participants described safety skills as learning the skills that would protect the child, and they previously experienced situations that threatened the safety of their children, and they had taken precautions to ensure the safety of their children by reducing the exposure of their children to dangerous situations or increasing surveillance. A significant number of the participants stated that safety skills could be instructed, while nearly half stated that the children were not instructed safety skills at school. Most participants stated that they had experience in the instruction of safety skills, they usually instructed these verbally or by warning their children, albeit the instruction was challenging. Discussion: It was observed that parents' knowledge, teaching experience, and views on the definition and scope of safety skills were limited. The study findings were generally consistent with the findings reported in the literature. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that parents did not prioritize the instruction of safety skills and did not assist their children in safe responses and self-protection. The awareness, knowledge, and teaching skills of parents of children with ASD should be improved in terms of safety skills.