Parents’ Experiences of Occupational Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Hazirah Md Saleh; Syamsul Anwar Sultan Ibrahim; Jayachandran Vetrayan

doi:10.21834/e-bpj.v10i34.7341

Authors

Hazirah Md Saleh Centre for Occupational Therapy Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Syamsul Anwar Sultan Ibrahim Centre for Occupational Therapy Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Jayachandran Vetrayan Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10i34.7341

Keywords:

Autism spectrum disorder, occupational therapy, parental perspectives, interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Abstract

Parents play a vital role in shaping occupational therapy (OT) outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet their experiences remain underexplored. This qualitative study at WQ Park Health and Rehabilitation Centre used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to investigate parental perspectives. Semi-structured interviews with ten parents of children with mild ASD revealed three key themes: balancing hopes with therapy realities, fostering trust and collaboration with therapists, and overcoming systemic barriers such as cost and accessibility. Findings emphasize the importance of family-centered, collaborative OT practices that empower parents, enhance understanding, and ensure continuity of care beyond child-focused outcomes.

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