Over the past few decades, there has been a shift from the traditional family structure, with more acceptance of different structures, including those led by single parents. This qualitative photo-narrative study aimed at making the voices of single mothers raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) heard. According to the literature, parenting a child with a disability can be very stressful on several different levels. Seven single mothers living in southern Israel and parenting children with ASD told their life stories and took photographs depicting their motherhood experience. The data underwent thematic content analysis. The main themes that emerged were the shattering of the family dream, the mothers and the educational setting, the present in the shadow of the future, single parents' support resources and the mothers' search for meaning. The data demonstrated that the mothers' daily life was rife with challenges. Providing assistance and support during different stages, including diagnosis, educational transitions and daily struggles, as outlined in the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement, was crucial. The mothers also stressed that they drew strength from their love for their child and their existing support systems.

中文翻译：

---

单亲母亲抚养自闭症谱系障碍儿童：定性照片叙事研究

在过去的几十年里，传统的家庭结构发生了转变，人们越来越多地接受不同的结构，包括单亲家庭。这项定性照片叙事研究旨在让抚养患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童的单身母亲发出声音。根据文献，养育残疾儿童可能会在几个不同层面上承受很大的压力。七位生活在以色列南部、抚养患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 孩子的单身母亲讲述了她们的生活故事，并拍摄了描绘她们母亲经历的照片。数据经过主题内容分析。出现的主题是家庭梦想的破碎、母亲和教育环境、未来阴影中的现在、单亲父母的支持资源以及母亲对意义的追寻。数据表明，母亲们的日常生活充满了挑战。正如应对丧亲之痛的双重过程模型所述，在不同阶段提供帮助和支持，包括诊断、教育过渡和日常斗争，是至关重要的。母亲们还强调，她们从对孩子的爱和现有的支持系统中汲取力量。