The Effectiveness of an Electronic Guide Based on the Communicative Theory in Developing the Skills of Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Reducing Their Children’s Sensory and Behavioral Problems

The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an electronic guide based on communicative theory in developing the skills of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to reduce sensory and behavioral problems in their children. To achieve the study objectives, the researcher employed an experimental design with a single group on a sample of ten mothers of children with ASD. The study was conducted in the South Hebron area—Dura. The researcher developed a measurement tool to collect data on cognitive and performance skills, consisting of 46 items, focusing on the mothers’ performance in reducing their children’s sensory and behavioral problems. The validity and reliability of the tool were verified using appropriate methods. For data analysis, means, standard deviations, and effect sizes were calculated. The results revealed statistically significant differences at the 0.05 significance level in favor of post-test scores for the cognitive and performance skills of mothers of children with ASD in reducing their children’s sensory and behavioral problems after using the electronic guide based on communicative theory. In light of these findings, the researcher recommended providing electronic training programs for mothers of children with ASD to ensure easy access and maximize the acquisition of knowledge on how to interact with their children through specialized guidance, overcoming the difficulties of reaching specialized centers due to geographic and logistical barriers across Palestine. This study is distinguished by its focus on developing the cognitive and performance skills of mothers of children with ASD through the use of an electronic guide that addresses daily challenges immediately, a dimension that has not received sufficient attention in previous studies on designing programs and electronic applications.