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Planning leisure activities in a family with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
ŠTEKEROVÁ, Lucie
The theoretical part of the thesis provides a definition of autism, lists types of autism, summarizes its incidence in population as well as its causes. Also, diagnostic techniques, procedures and materials used in the Czech Republic are discussed here, including institutions which are responsible for performing these tests. The next chapter is focused on families with mentally disabled children. The definition of family, its types, functions and the different ways parents cope with the fact that their child was born handicapped. In the last part of the theoretical part, organisations operating in the South Bohemian region dedicated for families with children suffering from autism spectrum disorders are mentioned. The practical part deals with brief case histories of children, mostly those with the Asperger Syndrome, infantile autism and also highly functioning autism, obtained by interviewing the parents, followed by the interviews being analysed. The main goal was to discover how the families with autistic children plan their leisure activities. The research has shown that although taking care of such a child might be challenging, most of the families have found a way to do that so that everybody would be satisfied. It is essential that the child is informed in advance about what the programme will be in order to prevent a potential affect or other negative reactions.The family needs to make sure the chosen place is suitable for the child and that he or she will be able to find a spot for playing while feeling content. In some cases, families decide to split the activities among different family members. One factor that influences the planning of leisure activities is the economic situation of the family which makes parents adapt to the current state of things. It is also crucial to take into account the mood of the child at the moment, otherwise the whole plan might get cancelled due to a manifestation of unease or affect from the child's side.
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