Families in a state of flux: the experience of grandparents in autism spectrum disorder.
BACKGROUND
The experience of being a grandparent of a grandchild with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a previously under-researched area. This study sets out to examine the grandparents' own perspective in an exploratory way using a qualitative approach to answer the question, 'What is the experience like?'


METHODS
A qualitative research project, using a purposive sampling technique and semi-structured interviews to examine the experiences of six grandparents of children with ASD diagnosed by a specialist team in a second opinion Tier 4 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.


RESULTS
The experiences of the grandparents were characterized by three Key Themes which emerged from the interviews: (1) The Parental Bond (protective bonding towards grandchild and adult child); (2) Striving for Answers (searching for meaning); (3) Keeping Intact (holding the family together).


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests some interesting insights and confirms the need for more attention to this area. A key question raised by the study is how a child-focused multidisciplinary team can embrace its role in delivering a family-centred service. The clinical implications of this project have led to a change of practice in the specialist team. Further research would be appropriate to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness and cost effectiveness of involving grandparents as part of the assessment process.
Margetts
J K
JK
University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Le Couteur
A
A
Croom
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents; D012380:Role; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012944:Social Support