This study aimed to explore the dynamic adjustment mechanisms of the families of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China in coping with challenges, focusing on the roles of belief systems, organizational processes, and communication strategies, as well as the influence of the China-specific cultural and policy contexts. Based on Walsh’s family resilience theory, a qualitative research methodology was used, with semi-structured interviews to collect experience data from these families, and thematic analysis was used to summarize the main challenges and coping processes. The study found that the families mainly faced the following challenges: difficulties in family care, parenting burnout, educational plights, and inadequate community support systems. Regarding belief systems, families enhanced their resilience through emotional acceptance and redefined expectations; regarding organizational processes, families optimized their internal operations through the flexible division of labor and decision-making patterns and actively mobilized external resources; and, regarding communication, reflection and sharing fostered emotional connection within the family, while compromise and patience enhanced the ability to integrate external resources. In addition, the traditional Chinese culture and inadequate policy support had a significant impact on the formation of family resilience. This study validates the cross-cultural applicability of family resilience theory and suggests enhancing family resilience through psychological support, policy optimization, and social advocacy.

Research on families of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often marginalizes adult neurotypical (NT) siblings, particularly outside of Western contexts. This study aimed to provide an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of adult NT siblings of individuals with ASD (IWASD) in China. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, this study conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight adult NT siblings of IWASD from China. Data were analyzed following IPA procedures. The analysis yielded three group experiential themes: 1) the inescapable responsibility within a culture of blood-ties, 2) the struggle between "flesh-and-blood kin" and "spiritual isolation", and 3) finding identity between "fulfilling others" and "losing the self". The findings reveal that participants' lived experience is a dynamic process shaped by cultural responsibility, mediated by a paradoxical relationship, and ultimately characterized by identity negotiation through sacrifice. The study concludes that in the Chinese context, the experience of adult NT siblings of IWASD dialectically unifies risk (e.g., ceded ideals) and resilience (e.g., pride as family stabilizer) under the core tenet of "sacrificing for the family". This offers a culturally centered, integrative perspective that supplements the dichotomous risk-resilience discussion in existing literature.

This exploratory qualitative study examines how grandparents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in China experience and cope with tensions in the context of daily intergenerational family caregiving. Seventeen grandparents were interviewed using semi-structured interviews conducted in three provinces of western China. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research was used to guide the specific processes of this study. Two main themes were identified: intergenerational tensions within the family system and coping with intergenerational tensions. Specific tensions included responsible but unrecognized family role, conflicts between experiential and expert knowledge, hesitation in family care process, being caught in the middle of family conflicts, and personal life sacrificed to care. Coping strategies involved protecting harmony through silence and withdrawal, compromise in family care, psychological adjustment and acceptance, and turn emotions toward grandchildren. These findings highlight how grandparents navigate care not only through practical routines but also through moral and emotional labor shaped by cultural norms. This study contributes to a more inclusive understanding of caregiving of children with ASD and calls for culturally responsive, extended-family-oriented support systems in Chinese and similar cultural contexts.