Experiences and Perceptions of the Parents of Children with Autism in Relation to Involvement in Kindergarten and the Impact on Them

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences dhe perceptions of the parents of children with autism in relation to involvement in kindergarten and the impact on them. The qualitative method was used in the study. Semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was the instrument for data collection. Data collections were made possible by interviewing 21parents of children with autism in Tirana, Albania. Through data analyses it came out that: (i) Most of children with autism attended kindergartens, in most cases private ones. The reasons that children with autism did not attend public kindergartens were because their staff didn't welcome them, they were considered as problematic, the highest number of children in the group, and a lack of specialized staff. For most parents private kindergarten remain the only option; (ii) The involvement of autistic children in kindergartens had a positive impact on them. Kindergarten had many influences especially on their child's socialization, on collaboration with others, on the structuring behavior, on the child cognitive development, on reducing aggression, increase cooperation between each other and in the ability to understand the context and to learn to work with others; (iii) The problem remains the lack of specific knowledge and information on autism from kindergarten staff.