Autistic women need greater research and support in the motherhood process

An article of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló published in the journal Autism in adulthood has collected some of the needs detected in autistic women regarding motherhood, among them, the shortage of professionals with updated knowledge to identify autism and provide a better individualised attention or the convenience of a family and social support network that favours the transition to the experience of being mothers.

The article "Until I had my son, I did not realise that these characteristics could be due to autism: motherhood and family experiences of Spanish autistic mothers", signed by the lecturer and researcher Irene García Molina and the Master's student in Family Intervention and Mediation Mónica Cortés Calvo, collects the experience of nine Spanish autistic women, seven mothers and two who want to become mothers, aged between 29 and 58, who responded in an interview to open questions about motherhood and life as a couple, which were evaluated under a qualitative approach. The selection of the participants was made through five of the most important autism foundations in Spain.

The themes that most interviewees agreed on were related to the need for healthcare professionals who can identify autism, as most of them were diagnosed after their children or another family member was diagnosed (and in some cases, the family doubted the diagnosis, believing that the mother was seeking attention). They also emphasized the importance of a good family relationship (partner and children) during the diagnosis process to increase self-acceptance.

Other aspects that most concerned the women about motherhood were the influence of sensory reactivity and anxiety because they saw many aspects of their motherhood and their relationships intensified, from pregnancy to more intimate experiences. They also stressed the importance of greater awareness of the characteristics of autism in women and in motherhood, so that the family can provide greater care and support, and at the same time, hospital protocols for pregnant autistic women can be adapted.

In the opinion of the researchers, "it is important to collaborate with different groups in researching these issues (women, family and health professionals) to understand their priorities and offer them more personalised care, from pregnancy to parenting". In addition, they stress, "more research is needed to break down the barriers surrounding the intersection of motherhood and diversity and to offer greater understanding and acceptance to the people who interact with them".

The results of the sample, although not representative of the population of autistic mothers due to the number of interviews, serve as a starting point for future studies. The researchers have not found any previous research on the experiences and needs of autistic Spanish women who are or want to become mothers and their relationships with their children. Those that exist are focused on children or are from countries with a different culture to the Spanish one.

The project "Autistic mothers: pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and parenting: motherhood in autistic women" has been possible thanks to the funding of the Social Commitment Award of the Santander Bank and the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló in 2022. Professor García Molina, member of the research group DEVELOP (Development and Educational Contexts), continues with the research on this topic, focused on mothers with autism and their families, as well as health professionals in the province of Castelló. People interested in participating in the study can write to autistasmujeres@gmail.com.