Examining maternal unmet needs and perception about autism-related services in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi mothers spell out clear, doable service fixes—use their list to tighten home-school links and build community respite.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Alrajhi et al. (2023) sat down with Saudi mothers of children with autism. They asked open questions about daily service gaps at home, school, and in the community.
The team recorded the mothers' own words. Mothers named exact fixes they wanted, from better teacher training to weekend respite clubs.
What they found
Every mother could list concrete missing supports. Top requests were smoother home-school coordination and local short-break services.
Mothers also warned that future adult services are almost invisible. They want job coaches and life-skills centers ready before their children turn sixteen.
How this fits with other research
The picture matches Alothman et al. (2024), who surveyed Saudi mothers during COVID-19. Remote-area families had even fewer supports, proving the gaps are wider outside cities.
Garwood et al. (2021) heard the same story in Mongolia. Parents there also cited money woes and lack of trained helpers, showing the problem crosses cultures.
Earlier numbers back the voices. Ohan et al. (2015) surveyed mothers worldwide and found moms report more unmet needs than dads. Rehab’s work gives the Saudi chapter of that long story.
Why it matters
You can lift the mothers’ own fixes straight into your next plan. Add a home-school log, train one teacher per grade on autism basics, and list local weekend respite clubs. Small moves like these hit the exact gaps Saudi mothers flagged—and likely help families on your caseload too.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore maternal experiences about autism services in Saudi Arabia. The main focus of the study was to gather maternal perceptions and needs about current services used for their autistic children in Saudi Arabia. The outcomes from this study will be an important source of information for service providers as parental experiences are considered as a reliable source of information about their children. METHOD AND PROCEDURE: Data were gathered from seven focus groups with a total of twenty-nine mothers from different geographical areas in Saudi Arabia. Background data about the mothers and their family' were also collected and considered within the framework. RESULTS: Three master themes were generated; i) maternal experiences of daily home/school provisions, ii) maternal suggestions to enhance existing services, and iii) maternal suggestions for future services. The findings from study provide with an understanding of Saudi mothers of autistic children's perception of autism provision services. This study provides data from maternal lived experiences about their needs for services, barriers and their suggestions for better services. It also provides a direction for parental and community support which ought to be initiated in Saudi Arabia to provide better family outcomes.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104561