The Linguistics Department presents Dr. Asri Nurul Qodri discussing “Just Find Another Doctor”: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Autism Parents Facebook Group.

Abstract : Recent studies in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have increasingly focused on Autistic parenthood (Fletcher-Randle, 2022). In addition to local communities, online platforms cater to Autism parents, providing an avenue to share social support, personal experiences, and health-related information. This study focused on the largest Facebook support group for Autism parents. Employing a Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021), this study investigated the subjective experiences and underlying themes that emerged from 1,101 posts. The findings revealed a high percentage of posts by mothers with the main purpose of asking for advice on behavior issues and treatments/services. Other topics are sharing accomplishments and venting. Holistically, the community responses are supportive and informative. These findings indicate a shared trust in parental knowledge, at times beyond medical perspectives, and in-group solidarity. Parents often used this forum to seek immediate emotional outlet and support as admins and members showed collaborative efforts to protect the online content. This study confirms that social media forums are resourceful and responsive, but they also need active participation from administrators and members to create a safe space for Autism parents. The findings may also inform professionals about misleading information spread within the Autism community.

Dr. Qodri  is Associate Global Educator at Arizona State University  Global Launch.  Qodri is also an alumna of the M.A. Applied Linguistics Program '18.

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