Touch, and parents of children with autism and tactile defensiveness

Research has shown that parents of children with autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to experience serious psychological distress than parents of children with other developmental disabilities. Although the symptoms that an individual has as part of their ASD vary from person to person, tactile defensiveness, is common. The lack of touch and positive feedback that the parent receives from their child may contribute to the stress, and potentially a lack of bonding between them, as touch is important to the psychological well-being of all people This pilot study will take a phenomenological approach to record the views and experiences of parents on their perceptions of touch and parenting their children with tactile defensiveness and ASD.