The research by Asst.Prof.Dr. Ertan GÖRGÜ of Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Educational Sciences Department of Basic Education Preschool Education and Duygu ARICI DOĞAN, our graduate student of the Family Counseling Master’s Program, titled “Investigation of the Views’ of the Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Suspending Special Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic Process” was published in the Journal of Qualitative Research in Education on March 23, 2022.
The aim of the study is to examine the views of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding curfews and a break from special education during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research, which was conducted to gain an understanding about how individuals with special needs were affected by the pandemic, was carried out with the mothers of children with ASD who attend a special education center in Gaziosmanpaşa, Istanbul. In this qualitative study conducted in the phenomenology pattern, “Personal Information Form” and “Semi-Structured Interview Form” prepared by the researchers were used to collect the data, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the mothers. The analysis of the data was made with the content analysis method. According to the results obtained from the research findings, it was determined that suspension of special education due to Covid-19 had positive and negative effects on children with ASD. When the positive effects are examined, it has been revealed that the pandemic mostly caused changes in family relations on children with ASD. The area with the highest negative effects was reported as behavioral problems.