Behind the Caregiving: A Qualitative Exploration of Lived Experiences of Mothers Navigating Through Daily Routines While Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Considered as a developmental disorder, ASD obstructs the daily functioning of a child. Its symptoms include, impaired social communication, a range of symptoms tied with intellectual disabilities and various mental health concerns as well. The current study focused on exploring the lived experiences of the mothers as they go through the daily routine with their children diagnosed with ASD. As the study opted for a qualitative approach, semi structured interview was utilised for data collection, wherein 11 open ended questions were asked to the participants. Once the interview transcripts were generated, they were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Through the analysis, sub themes and themes were generated. Four major themes that were generated are, ADLs considered easy, Difficult ADLs lead to a strenuous routine, Mental strain on the mother and unwell psychological well-being and developing their own coping techniques. The results indicated that bathing and dressing and grooming were considered as easy ADLs, whereas eating, assisting in communication, sleep routines and routine changes were difficult. Straining daily routine negatively affects psychological well-being. It was also seen that mothers often come up with their own strategies and methods to assist themselves in the daily routine which decreases the intensity of the hassles of their daily life to a certain level.