Evangelos Kavakis
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Autism Open Access
The aim of this research project was to have a better understanding of the perception and life experiences of rural Greek parents raising children on the spectrum of autism. For this reason, a qualitative research has been adopted through qualitative semi-structured individual interviews. Parents from seven families of children with autism, aged between 10 and 15 years old residing in a northern Greek province shared their personal story. The data were analyzed using qualitative software (NVivo) and themes began to emerge. Four themes representing the essential challenging elements of the parents' experiences included: Parents’ understanding, impact of autism, sources of information and the support and its role in the life of parents. This qualitative exploration of parental experiences has yielded several key findings. Knowledge was added to the current literature on autism in specific areas through first-hand accounts as data and can be used in the future in a plethora of education.
Evangelos Kavakis has completed his Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs at USW Newport City Campus with a keen interest in the field of Autism Spectrum. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Education (Honors) from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is currently working as a Teaching Assistant in a primary school for children aged 3-11 years old, who are on the spectrum of autism, in Cardiff. Evangelos Kavakis
E-mail: evangeloskavakis@gmail.com
