Table 3.

Interview guidelines for parents.

Parents interview guidelines
Interview guide – interview topics, questions, and prompts
(1) Please begin by telling me about your experience of having a child with ASD.
(a) Possible prompts regarding the diagnosis if not mentioned.
(i) Tell me about your experiences of first observing something of concern with your child.
(ii) Tell me about your experience of learning your child has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
(iii) Tell me about the diagnosis process.
(2) Based on your experiences of raising a child with autism, what experiences have been most meaningful to you?
(3) Tell me about your experience of having a child with autism in your family.
(a) Tell me about how having a child with ASD has affected your family?
(b) What sort of behaviors affected your family the most?
(4) Tell me about the relationships between your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and his/her siblings, you, your husband, and grandparents?
(a) How was your family affected?
(5) Tell me about any stressors or challenges, if any, that you have faced?
(a) Being a parent to a child with autism.
(b) Having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
(c) Having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in your family.
(6) Tell me about what has helped you.
(a) Tell me about what has helped improve your well-being.
(b) Tell me about what has helped improve your family well-being.
(c) Tell me about what or who has helped or supported you.
(d) How have you and your family coped with having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
(e) How much social support (e.g., from friends, relatives, support groups, neighbors, etc.) do you receive?
(f) How much has social support helped you cope?
(7) Tell me about the experience of being a parent to a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Malaysia and in your culture.
(8) Please describe the services, treatment, education that you have sought?
(9) What is your understanding of the development of your child’s condition?
(10) If you could provide advice or suggestions to other parents with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Malaysia, what would it be? What advice or suggestions would you give to other parents to help improve their family well-being? What advice or suggestions would you like to give to mental health and health professionals in Malaysia?
(11) Please let me know any other comments that you have about this research topic. Please let me know any questions that you have about this research?