Social Problems of Families of Autistic Children A Field Study in Mosul

Abstract

The research aimed to identify the social problems facing families of autistic children in the city of Mosul through an applied study to demonstrate the family conditions and the nature of the suffering experienced by families with autistic children. The research relied on a social survey method with a sample size of (200) families whose children suffer from autism disorder. The survey was conducted intentionally through the researcher's visits to institutes and private institutions that train this group. The researcher relied on a questionnaire to obtain information through three axes covering the topic. The research relied on modern statistical methods through the use of the statistical package (SPSS). The research reached a set of results, the most important of which are:

1. The results of the field study indicate that the majority of the research sample discovered their children's illness at the age of (3-4) years. Their number reached (101) of the total sample, recording a percentage of (50.5%). This means that the discovery was early, which helps in finding treatment and consulting doctors and training centers.
2. The results of the field study indicate that paragraph (7) in the hierarchical sequence of the items on the psychological and social problems axis ranked first, with (166) "yes" answers, representing (83%) of the total, the highest percentage among the items on the axis. Its arithmetic mean was (3.11) with a standard deviation of (0.81).
3. The results of the field study indicate that paragraph (1) in the hierarchical sequence of the items on the economic problems axis ranked first, with (144) "yes" answers, representing (72%) of the total, the highest percentage among the items on the axis. Its arithmetic mean was (3.16), with a standard deviation of (0.96), an average coefficient of variation of (46.06), and a high response rate of (80.50).
4. The results of the field study indicate that paragraph (2) ranked first among the hierarchical sequence of paragraphs of the health problems axis, as the answers “yes” reached (160) answers to this paragraph, with a percentage of (80.0%), with an arithmetic mean of (2.74) degrees, a standard deviation of (0.97), a coefficient of variation of its degree of (44.59), and a very high response rate of(68.51).