Pubertal challenges in female adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: mother’s perspective

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neuro-developmental disorder that is marked persistent communication deficit, restricted behavior which interferes with a person’s ability to fell, think and create problem in language and performing a task in their daily-life. Person with or without ASD all have to go through a physical & mental transition called puberty. This is an extremely challenging and confusing period for person with ASD as they have to encounter a number of events. They require more times to cope with the changes that occur in their body and with the changing relation and situation. Girls with ASD especially face difficulty during menstruation because of complicated menstrual management. Besides this their change in attitude, feeling of romantic relationship, need for extra menstrual hygiene all have great impact in the life of girl with ASD and their mother. The objectives of the study is to identify the challenges that mother face during the puberty of their daughter and how are they coping with those challenges through taking interview of mothers. The researcher did a phenomenological qualitative study in which she interviewed the mother to find out the answer. After analyzing, researcher come to an understanding that mothers of girl with ASD have to deal with a number of issues in their daily life regarding the issues related to puberty. Key words: ASD, Adolescence, Puberty & Changes