Decision making of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder concerning augmentative and alternative communication in Hungary

A qualitative interview methodology was used to investigate the perspectives of 10 Hungarian parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) concerning their decision-making processes undertaken to make communication intervention decisions for their children. Six themes were identified from the data: (a) sources of information, (b) interventions to support communication, (c) intervention outcomes, (d) reasons for adding or discontinuing interventions, (e) desired interventions, and (f) decision-making processes. Parents in Hungary used a variety of sources to find information about communication interventions and had differing expectations of these interventions. They expressed a variety of reasons for adding or discontinuing communication interventions. Additional results are discussed as they relate to the themes and with reference to published literature. Limitations to this research are presented, and several priorities for further research directions are offered.