Date of Defense
18-6-2026 12:00 PM
Location
Room 2024, H1 Building
Document Type
Thesis Defense
Degree Name
Master of Education (Special Education)
College
College of Education
Department
Special and Gifted Education
First Advisor
Maxwell Peprah Opoku
Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder psychotropic medication, medication use, parents, attitudes, teachers, attitudes, UAE
Abstract
Medication is increasingly being used to manage behaviour among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, teachers and parents continue to raise concerns about behavioural problems demonstrated by children with ASD. This raises questions about the efficacy of psychotropic medication used in managing behavioural problems among children with ASD. However, there is limited research on stakeholders’ attitudes towards the usage of medication to manage behavioural problems among children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ attitudes towards using medication to manage behavioural problems among children with ASD. The attitude domain of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour guided the study. A mixed method explanation design was used in this study. In Phase I, 222 parents raising children with ASD completed the survey. In Phase II, 11 parents were interviewed. While SPSS was used to analyse the quantitative data, thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews data. In relation to the quantitative data, means, multivariate analysis of variance and linear regressions were computed. The results showed that parents who took part in this study were negative in their attitude towards using medication to manage behaviour among children with ASD. Moreover, participants who took part in this study did not differ in their attitude towards using medication to support children with disabilities (Phase I). The qualitative data showed that parents had mixed reaction to usage of medication to manage behaviour among children with ASD (Phase II). The study concludes with a recommendation for close collaboration between health professionals, parents and teachers who are supporting the development of children with ASD. Other study implications are discussed in detail.
Included in
Parental Attitudes Towards Using Medication to Regulate Behavioral Problems Among Children with Autism Spectrum
Room 2024, H1 Building
Medication is increasingly being used to manage behaviour among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, teachers and parents continue to raise concerns about behavioural problems demonstrated by children with ASD. This raises questions about the efficacy of psychotropic medication used in managing behavioural problems among children with ASD. However, there is limited research on stakeholders’ attitudes towards the usage of medication to manage behavioural problems among children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ attitudes towards using medication to manage behavioural problems among children with ASD. The attitude domain of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour guided the study. A mixed method explanation design was used in this study. In Phase I, 222 parents raising children with ASD completed the survey. In Phase II, 11 parents were interviewed. While SPSS was used to analyse the quantitative data, thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews data. In relation to the quantitative data, means, multivariate analysis of variance and linear regressions were computed. The results showed that parents who took part in this study were negative in their attitude towards using medication to manage behaviour among children with ASD. Moreover, participants who took part in this study did not differ in their attitude towards using medication to support children with disabilities (Phase I). The qualitative data showed that parents had mixed reaction to usage of medication to manage behaviour among children with ASD (Phase II). The study concludes with a recommendation for close collaboration between health professionals, parents and teachers who are supporting the development of children with ASD. Other study implications are discussed in detail.