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THE USE OF ONLINE PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS BY PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

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DOI: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.12686
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Abstract (2. Language): 
Parents of children with autism experience high levels of stress, anxiety, frustration and dissatisfaction. Following the diagnosis in their children families make changes in their lives. After diagnosis parents employ different coping strategies such as use of treatment services, support from other members of the family or personal network or use of religious coping mechanisms. In addition to these strategies parents also use parent support groups as a way of coping. Parents of children with special needs have long been using parent support groups in order to gather new information, share their experiences with other group members, or get emotional support. Among these groups face-to-face support groups provide their members with the opportunity to share their experiences, support each other, obtain new information, and create a network of parents with similar interests or concerns. Online parent support groups provide the same support in online environment with the advantage of participating discussion any time they want and from anywhere in the world. The first section of this article focuses on parents’ experiences of raising a child with autism. The second section reviews studies on face-to-face and parent support groups and discusses advantages and disadvantages of these groups. Conclusions and recommendation are made based on literature.
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