Personal experiences disclosed by parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A YouTube analysis.

• The current study used YouTube as a data source to observe parents of children with ASD. • Fifty videos were collected and qualitatively analysed. • A number of common themes emerged about their experiences. • The topics most mentioned were celebration and acceptance, everyday difficulties, advice, and communication with parents. • The study emphasises a need for more social support and positive representations. The current study used YouTube as a data source in order to observe parents of children with ASD speaking about their experiences in a 'naturalistic' setting. Fifty videos made by parents of children with ASD were collected and qualitatively analysed using a content analytic procedure. This revealed a number of common themes expressed by the parents about their experiences across these video clips. The topics mentioned most were Issues of self; Issues with the child; Relationships; Autism and daily life; Solidarity between parents; Diagnosis; and Treatments and available services. Implications of the study emphasise a need for more social support, and more positive representations of parenting a child with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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