Challenges, Strengths, and Joys of Autistic Parents: An Abductive Qualitative Content Analysis of Parent Interviews

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Jones, S. C., Brownlow, C., & Abel, S. (2025). Challenges, Strengths, and Joys of Autistic Parents: An Abductive Qualitative Content Analysis of Parent Interviews. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251385735

Publication date: 7 Oct 2025 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Sandra C. Jones *
  2. Charlotte Brownlow
  3. Susan Abel

Abstract

Background: Research into the experiences of autistic parents is limited, with the majority of existing studies focusing on pregnancy, childbirth, and raising infants. We sought to capture the experiences of autistic parents across the journey from pregnancy to parenting adult children. Methods: We conducted semistructured online interviews with 92 autistic parents across all stages of the parenting journey. Participants were invited to share their reflections on the challenges and strengths of parenting as an autistic person. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, combining deductive and inductive coding. Results: Challenges external to the parent–child relationship were most frequently coded in the categories of “support” and “discrimination/stigma.” Challenges internal to the parent–child relationship were most frequently in the categories of “self-child balance” and “parental well-being.” When exploring parenting strengths, the most frequently coded categories were “empathy and understanding” and “parental joy.” Across all three focus areas, the majority of the most frequently occurring codes arose from the inductive coding and were not represented in the existing literature. Conclusion: The most significant challenges external to the parent–child relationship were lack of access to appropriate supports and provision of inappropriate supports, along with discrimination from professionals and service providers. The most commonly coded internal challenge was feelings of not being good enough or failing as a parent, likely reflecting the negative judgments experienced by many autistic people. Participants reported experiencing great joy in their parenting experience, and evidenced a range of strengths, including egalitarian parenting, open and honest communication, and insight and understanding.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 07:50.

Cited references
43
With a DOI
39
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
4
15 / 43 (34.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 43 (2.3%)
References with detected author names
42 / 43 (97.7%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
3
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
217
From DOI or external metadata
217
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
106 / 217 (48.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 111 / 217 (51.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
37 / 217 (17.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 37 / 106 (34.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 28 / 189 (14.8%).
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