Parents' experience during the diagnostic process of autism spectrum disorder in the Shatra city_Iraq

This study aimed to assess the parents' experience of diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in the city of Shetra, Iraq. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between July and December 2022 at the Autism Center in the city of Shatra / Iraq. The study population consisted of parents of children with autism who were admitted to these hospitals. The study sample consisted of 100 fathers and mothers who agreed to participate in the study at the time of data collection. The "Sociodemographic Factors for Parents Model" and "Autism Information Questionnaire" were used to collect data. The mean age of the study group was 30.32 ± 9.82, 72% were female, 58% were married, 54% were low-income, 43.0% were high school graduates. It was determined that the sum of the parents' knowledge scores, the gender variable, the educational level variable, and the Autism Information Questionnaire variable were higher for females, Master/PhD graduates, and those with Master/PhD compared to the other groups, and the difference was statistically significant (p≤0.05). The results of the study showed that the parents' experience in Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in the city of Ashtra, Iraq, in general affected by variables such as gender, educational level, number of children