Diving into the Resolution Process: Parent’s Reactions to Child’s Diagnosis

Abstract

This research presents an in-depth observation of parental resolution regarding a child’s diagnosis with special needs to help counsellors understand the complexities of parental coping. Sixty-two parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder/Intellectual Developmental Delay participated in a Reaction to the Diagnosis Interview and a semi-structured interview. Categorical analysis revealed that 59.7% of the parents had reached resolution, with approximately 40% emotional orientation, 40% cognitive orientation, and 20% proactive orientation. Content analysis revealed three themes: emotions—feelings of guilt, shame, and emotional breakdown; thoughts—fear of stigma and concern for the child’s future; actions—concealment, seeking support, and attempts to reject the results of the diagnosis. Whereas most parents were diagnosed as having reached resolution, the content analysis still found complex subject matter suggesting lack of resolution. Research findings show that counsellors should identify the intricate emotional dynamics of parents coping while being cautious of premature coping categorization.