Counselling needs of parents of children given an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis

The aim of this research was to uncover how counselling could support the parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Parents of children with an ASD diagnosis report experiencing increased stress levels compared to other parents, which can have negative implications for both parent and child. A qualitative research method was used, six parents of children with ASD were interviewed about the experience of getting their child diagnosed. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect the parental narratives, these were analysed through thematic analysis.