Buried by autism: older parents' perceptions of autism.

Hines et al. (2012) talked with older parents who have adult children with autism. They used long, open interviews to learn how these parents make sense of the diagnosis after many years.

Parents shared stories about daily life, hopes, and struggles. The team read the transcripts and pulled out common themes.

Many parents said, "Autism hides my child's real self." They believed kind, funny, or smart traits were buried under autism. This idea helped them stay hopeful, but it also made them feel stuck.

Seeing autism as a mask gave comfort, yet it set up a lifelong search for the "normal" child they thought was inside.

Stephens et al. (2018) asked a wider age range of parents to fill out surveys. They found that parents who view autism as a burden report more behavior problems in their kids. Monique’s deeper interviews show one reason why: the "mask" idea can quietly feed stress.

Harrington et al. (2006) ran an earlier survey and saw that long diagnosis waits hurt trust in doctors. Monique’s work adds that even after diagnosis, older parents still craft their own private stories to cope.

Neuringer et al. (2007) measured vicarious hope and despair in parents. The "buried child" theme in Monique’s study gives words to the mixed feelings those numbers capture.

If you work with adults with autism, ask parents how they see the diagnosis now. When they talk about "the real child inside," echo the feeling, then gently shift focus to present strengths. This small move can lower hidden stress and boost teamwork on daily goals.