Socio-Economic Status of the Autistic Children of Special School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajmsi.v5i1.6346Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Child Development, Socio-Economic Status, Special Education, Therapy Access, Parental ChallengesAbstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by disturbances in social interaction, communication, and behavior. This research probes into the socio-economic status of families with autistic children in Chattogram City and primarily analyses its effects on receiving autism development services. A total of 50 families of children with ID from two special schools: ACWF and CSAC, were surveyed through a structured questionnaire and collected data was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Findings show that 62% of the households belong to lower middle income, 54% parents are educated up to secondary level and 48% are working in informal sector. Socioeconomic status was also robustly associated with children’s developmental outcomes (p < 0.05), suggesting that SES appeals to better therapy hours, schooling attendance and intervention quality. Furthermore, 72% of parents felt financial pressure, 68% experienced emotional or social stress and 81% were unaware of government or NGO support programs available in their community. Closing the gap in localized ASD research within Bangladesh (specifically Chattogram) this paper demonstrates how social economic disparity influence use of developmental services. The results provide fresh evidence for the national ASD body of knowledge and suggest inclusive policy arrangements, addressed financial assistance, expanded school facilities and systematic parenting education are needed to prompt better service access and outcomes of ASD children.
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