Parents’ Experience in Coping with Sexuality Matters in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Parents are often challenged with the personal development of adolescents with autism especially in dealing with sexuality problems. The study explores the parents’ caring experience of adolescents with autism. The research focusing on the adjustment to the existing condition of the adolescents, especially in the transformation of puberty, and how to communicate about the sexuality matters. This research employed an exploratory, qualitative study. Participants in this study include three parents who predominantly support the adolescents boy with autism. An interview was applied in this research to collect the data. The data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. The result showed two major themes namely parent's experiences regarding sexual behavior in adolescents with ASD and strategies to cope with sexuality matters in adolescents with ASD. Some parents experience a challenging times when signs of puberty appear in their children. Parents state that there are behavioral changes in their children, such as the emergence of masturbation in boys. Parents coped this behavior by providing an understanding of sexuality education to their adolescents so that they can behave adaptively when arousal occurs.