Volume 13, Issue 5 (May 2026), Pages: 35-42

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 Original Research Paper

From deficits to strengths: Mothers’ lived experiences of recognizing and nurturing talents in children with autism spectrum disorder

 Author(s): 

Omar Abdullah Alsamani *

 Affiliation(s):

Department of Special Education, College of Education, Hai'l University, Hai'l, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5807-8105

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.05.004

 Abstract

Although research on autism has expanded rapidly, it is still mainly based on deficit-oriented frameworks that emphasize limitations rather than strengths. This phenomenological study explores mothers’ lived experiences in identifying and supporting the hidden talents and strengths of their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the Saudi sociocultural context. Nine mothers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which revealed five interconnected themes: (a) an initial “glimpse of hope” when abilities were first recognized; (b) limited recognition of children’s strengths by institutions; (c) the development of home-based advocacy and informal strength-focused practices; (d) socially conditional acknowledgment of ASD-related talents; and (e) support for a strengths-based approach to education. The findings show that mothers play a central role as key observers and advocates of their children’s strengths. They also highlight the need to make talents and strengths more visible in assessment and intervention practices.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder, Strengths-based approach, Mothers’ experiences, Hidden talents, Saudi context

 Article history

Received 25 December 2025, Received in revised form 28 April 2026, Accepted 3 May 2026

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Hail University (Approval No. H-2025-991). Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation, and confidentiality and anonymity were ensured throughout the study. 

 Citation:

Alsamani OA (2026). From deficits to strengths: Mothers’ lived experiences of recognizing and nurturing talents in children with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(5): 35-42

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