Parenting Style among Parents of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The number of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is increasing every year, as well as in Indonesia so that it requires proper treatment to optimize children's development optimally. Some research that has been done states that the development of behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders is still less than optimal. One of the influential factors is the parenting style applied by parents. The purpose of this study was to determine parenting styles of parents who have ASD’s children in Indonesia. This study was a quantitative descriptive. The study was conducted in three Special Needs Schools in West Java Province Indonesia, with a total sampling technique, and found 32 parents of autistic children participated in this study. The instrument used in this study was The Parenting Style and Dimensions Questionnaire. The reliability test results on the questionnaire had an Alpha Cronbach's value of 0.79 so it was a reliable instrument to use. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of this study showed 43.8% of parents applied authoritarian style, 31.2% had permissive style, and 25% had authoritative style. It can be concluded that the most dominant was the authoritarian parenting style. This type of parenting can have a devastating effect on the development of children with autism spectrum disorders. There is a need for education for parents about the impact of parenting with developmental progress on children with autism spectrum disorder.