Lived Experiences of Mothers Raising Children with Autism in Chitwan District, Nepal

Table 3

Emerged theme on lived experiences of mothers with autistic children.

Major theme	Minor themes
Perception about autism	(i) Mental retardation
	(ii) Behavioral problem
	(iii) Lifelong disorder
	(iv) Neurodevelopmental problem
Recognition of problem	(i) Problem in socialization
	(ii) Problem in communication
	(iii) Restricted or repetitive behavior
	(iv) Poor developmental tasks
	(v) Sources of information
Modification in parenting style	(i) Changes in activity of daily living
	(ii) Capable of developmental tasks
	(iii) Positive reinforcement
	(iv) Uses of different resources
	(v) Safety precautions
	(vi) Perceiving child’s compatibility
Impact on day-to-day life	Physical aspects
	(i) Physical toil
	Emotional aspects
	(i) Denial
	(ii) Worry
	(iii) Sad
	(iv) Anger
	(v) Anxious
	(vi) Relief
	Social aspects
	(i) Isolation
	(ii) Ignorance
	(iii) Social blame
	Economic aspects
	(i) Economic hardship
	(ii) Loss of job opportunity
Coping measures	(i) Respite care
	(ii) Problem-focused strategies
	(iii) Spiritual coping
	(iv) Positive coping