Caregivers’ Roles in Enhancing Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder At Autism Society of Kenya, Nairobi City County Kenya
Loading...
Date
2024-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Due to their increased time spent interacting with and offering formal care for their children, caregivers play a crucial role in early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They are expected to help their children with communication difficulties by offering early diagnosis and continuous assistance. Insufficient information and experience about their responsibilities can lead to miscommunication, unfulfilled demands, and dissatisfaction among certain caregivers who struggle with their children's communication issues. This study aimed to evaluate the contributions that caregivers made to improve the communicative abilities of children with ASD. Objectives of the study were to find out awareness of caregivers on communication difficulties which children with ASD face, how much they participated in Speech and Language Pathology Services (SLP) to help the children with ASD communicate better, and the techniques caregivers employed to help the children with ASD communicate better. Comte's Structural Functional Theory (SFT) provided direction for the investigation. The research employed a descriptive survey design. The study focused on a target group of 38 participants, consisting of 36 caregivers, 1 occupational therapist from Autism Society of Kenya (ASK), and 1 speech-language pathologist (SLP) outside the organization. Purposive sampling was used in the study. A pilot study was conducted among members of Autism Support Center Kenya (ASCK) who cared for children with ASD who shared the same features to assess the validity and reliability of the research tools. To take part in the pilot trial, one therapist was specifically chosen. The therapists were interviewed and the caregivers were given questionnaires to complete in order to gather data. Quantitative information from closed-ended questions was analyzed and classified. Descriptive statistics analysis using SPSS version 26 was then performed. The study established that more than half of the caregivers were not aware of the communication deficits in their children with ASD and therefore, they were not actively involved in enhancing communication abilities. The research findings also indicated that that majority of caregivers’ utilized various strategies however, expressed difficulties in mastering and implementing them. The study concludes that there is a clear need to address key themes emerged in this study in order for caregivers to effectively carry out their roles to enhance communication abilities of children with ASD. The study suggests need for Governmental and non- Governmental organization raising knowledge of SLP services, hiring more SLP at nearby hospitals, providing training, and mentoring caregivers on SLP techniques. This study could help healthcare facilities, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health manage and support children with ASD. Caregivers of children with ASD will also understand communication deficits of their children and effective strategies to mitigate these deficits.
Description
A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfilment for the Award of Degree of Master in Speech and Language Pathology in the School of Education
And Life-Long Learning of Kenyatta University, August 2024.
Supervisor
George Mathenge Wairungu