자폐스펙트럼장애 자녀를 둔 어머니의 삶에 대한 내러티브 탐구

A Narrative Inquiry into the Life of Mothers Who have Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study looks at the life experiences of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and examines the meaning of their lives. Two mothers of children who have received diagnoses of ASD participated in this study. We used the method of narrative inquiry. The results are as follows. Participants reported that they experienced hardship while raising their children who presented difficulties different from other children, and said that they felt a sense of isolation when with their children, who in all situations were like isolated islands. For these parents who felt repeated feelings of frustration and hope, time gave way to deep acceptance for their children. They came to have realistic expectations of the future and to cherish living everyday with their children who they may spend their entire lives with. Within these life stories, the lives of mothers of children with ASD can be interpreted as “living your life while embracing your isolated child” and “finding one’s way among confusion and hardship”. The life stories of mothers of children with ASD in this essay can increase counselors’ understanding of their clients, and can likely be used as preliminary data for assisting the child rearing of mothers of children with ASD.