Knowledge of parents of children with autism from Poland, Belarus and France concerning their child’s condition

Background
Autism is not only a problem for people with autism, but also for their entire families.

Material and methods
83 families were analysed, including 30 families from Poland, 25 families from Belarus and 28 families from France, an author’s questionnaire was used.

Results
The majority of respondents were aware of the fact that autism can also be diagnosed in an adult person. Likewise, the notion of the autistic spectrum was known. While parents from Poland and France realised that a one-time diagnosis of the condition is insufficient, parents from Belarus more often chose the incorrect answer, and therefore they express the tendency to immediately start a therapy without additional consultations. All respondents from France chose the statement that treatment of autism should be started before the age of 3, which was confirmed by the majority of respondents from the other two countries. Polish parents barely considered the importance of preparation required to understand their child's behaviour, whereas this aspect of the therapy was indicated by almost 90% of the respondents from the other two countries. Parents from Poland (69%) and Belarus (76%) were mostly convinced that autism cannot be cured completely. A different opinion was expressed by 42.9% of parents from France, who were convinced about it. The Poles most willingly used the Internet as a source of knowledge, while the French and Belarusians - a psychologist. A paediatrician was a preferred educator in Poland, in Belarus and France - a psychologist.

Conclusions
The parents of autistic children, regardless of the country, showed a low level of knowledge about autism. The vast majority of respondents declared a desire to deepen their knowledge on autism, expressing their preference to have an individual conversation with an educator.