The Impact of an Asperger Syndrome Diagnosis : A phenomenological exploration into the lived experience of Asperger Syndrome

Abstract

This phenomenological research study explores the lived experience of an Asperger syndrome (AS) diagnosis, particularly focusing on the impacts of diagnosis. It uses Colaizzi’s phenomenological methodology. The method of analysis described by Colaizzi (1978) provides a rich description of the essential structure of the phenomenon. The proposed sample included seven co-researchers, four women, three men, with lived experiences of an AS diagnosis. Six of the co-researchers had a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and one co-researcher was a parent of a child with Asperger syndrome. A total of seven themes emerged from the data for those with an Asperger syndrome diagnosis. The parent experience yielded five themes. The themes are produced an exhaustive description, which revealed the lived experiences of an AS diagnosis.