Abstract
The purpose of the study was to clarify how a mother of an autistic child would feel when she became skeptical that her child might have a disability, how her family members changed accordingly, and what the factor affecting their change is. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 mothers whose children had autism. Qualitative data was analyzed using Modified Grounded Theory Approach. Results showed that mothers' feelings have changed to "a sense of unity with the child" and it was clear that the family with an autistic child became much more cooperative in terms of the partnership. The change of the mother and family influenced it cyclically, and, the results suggested that one of the contributing factors for their changes was the social connectedness in a community.
