Features of the value-meaning sphere of parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the study of the meaning sphere of parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The relevance of the study is explained by the fact that the birth of a sick child radically changes the family’s life, breaking the existing system of values, life-meaning orientations. The psychological support of such families, providing them with the psychological assistance should begin with the search for new life meanings, the adoption of new values. The article describes the results of a study of changes in the value meaning sphere of parents raising children with serious disabilities. The article contains an analysis of domestic and foreign studies of family psychology, issues of early childhood autism. There are the description of empirical data from the study of changes in the life-meaning orientations of parents after the birth of a child with ASD, presentation of the results of a comparative analysis of life-meaning orientations and values for both group of parents. As a result, possible ways of helping parents raising a child with autistic symptoms were outlined.