Potential impact of autism services on the quality of life of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families.
Saudi parents say autism services remain hit-or-miss and drag family quality of life down.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Almasoud et al. (2023) talked with Saudi parents about autism services.
They used open interviews to learn how services help or hurt family life.
All parents had a child with autism and used local clinics or schools.
What they found
Parents gave mixed reports. Some services were helpful, many were not.
Every parent said the system needs big fixes to lift family quality of life.
How this fits with other research
Almasoud et al. (2023) extends their own 2023 survey. The survey shows the same problems seen in 2011 are still alive in 2021, so the new interviews add fresh voices to an old story.
Diemer et al. (2023) in Canada gives numbers to the pain. Low service satisfaction predicts high caregiver stress even after income and child needs are held constant. The Saudi stories now have a statistical backbone.
Rattaz et al. (2014) heard the same tune in France nine years earlier. Parents liked staff hearts but disliked poor communication and non-autism tools. The Gulf and Europe share a script: good people, weak system.
Why it matters
You may not work in Saudi Arabia, yet the gripes are global. Check your own families’ service satisfaction with a quick rating scale. One low score flags rising parent stress and burnout. Fix communication first: share the session plan, invite questions, and use autism-specific visuals. Small clarity boosts can lift family quality of life faster than adding new therapies.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition that requires autism-specific services. However, the quality of autism services in Saudi Arabia has rarely been examined. Therefore, exploring issues from the parents' perspective is crucial to improve the quality of life (QOL) outcomes for such a population. Semi-structured interviews were administered to nine parents of individuals with ASD, and thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results showed that parents' experiences regarding the quality of autism services varied. In addition, the quality of autism services must be further developed to meet the diverse needs of individuals with ASD and their families, in line with the 2030 vision of Saudi Arabia, which prioritises the QOL of individuals with a disability and their families. This study highlighted some influencing factors of the quality of autism services and QOL of individuals with ASD and their families from the parents' perspective. This study concluded that further research is necessary to gain in-depth understanding of the influencing factors of the quality of national autism services. Overall, the reasons behind the diversity in experiences amongst parents of individuals with ASD regarding the quality of autism services must be further explored.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104492