The psychological impact of the secondary school transition on families of autistic children

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant/child demographic information.

Mother	Age	Ethnicity	Occupation	Child’s diagnosis (including co-occurring disorders)	Gender of child	Age of child	Age of child at diagnosis	Number of siblings (Age respective to child with autism)
Anna	45	White British	Nurse/Counsellor	Autism, specific learning difficulty, verbal Dyspraxia	Male	11	Unknown	2 (1 older, 1 younger)
Juliet	40	Pakistani	Housewife	Asperger’s syndrome, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia	Male	12	9	2 (1 older, 1 younger)
Francesca	48	Hindu/Indian	Pharmacist	Asperger’s syndrome	Male	11	10	1 (older)
Louise	44	White British	Retired	Autism, Hyperacusis, Tinnitus	Male	12	9	2 (older)
Mary	45	White British	General Practitioner	Asperger’s syndrome	Male	12	8	1 (younger)
Becky	37	White British	Receptionist	Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyspraxia	Male	12	4	0
Sally	57	White British	Part-time Nurse	Asperger’s syndrome	Female	12	12	2 (older)
Diane	45	White British	Nurse	Autism, Selective Mutism	Male	12	8	2 (older)

Table 2. Superordinate and subordinate themes.

Superordinate theme	Subordinate themes
Lack of appropriate support	A lonely battle Empty promises Provision specific to supporting parents Unique needs of the individual Lack of awareness surrounding autism
Detrimental psychological impact on the family	Increase in child’s behavioural issues Breakdown in the family unit The emotional impact on the mother