Abstract:

Autism covers a wide spectrum of disorders for which there are many views, hypotheses, and theories. According to Pfeiffer et al. (2018), 42-88% of autistic children experience sensory integration difficulties. Signs of sensory integration disorders vary in complexity and manifest differently for each child. Children with sensory integration disorders may have difficulty interacting properly with their environment. These difficulties can influence a child’s gross and fine motor development, balance, coordination, visual perception, and self-help skills, thus having a potential impact on the ability to engage in social activities and develop feelings of success and mastery in the environment. In order to improve mutual interactions and the successful socialization of autistic children, it is important to understand what kind of reactions to sensory stimuli prevail in each sensory system, in the presence of their disorder, and how parents can help their children.
The aim of the study is to reveal parents' experiences related to sensory integration disorders of autistic children.

The research methodology. A qualitative research methodology (structured interview, content analysis) was chosen for this study. When defining the target group, the main criterion that had to be met –the study participants are parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (N=15). The content analysis method was used for the analysis of the research data. The qualitative data were organized into groups and sets with MAXQDA2022. The analysis has been conducted by consistently analysing the content of a text, dividing the content under investigation into analytical units, i. e. categories, sub-categories. The latter are coded according to the order of reflections presented by the surveyed, aiming at anonymity of the research participants (cases).

The research results revealed that autistic children have a variety of sensory integration disorders. Parents' different experiences of recognising the signs of sensory integration are highlighted, noting the difficulties they encounter. Parents consider it very important to recognise and understand sensory integration (hyper/hyposensitivity), since parent-identified goals are able to part of the learning process for children with ASD. The research participants indicated in which ways they solve the child's behavioral challenges related to sensory integration processes. This allows parents to get to know the children with ASD needs better, create an engaging and inclusive environment, and ensure the child's well-being.

Keywords:

Autism, sensory integration, parents' experiences, inclusive environment.