Experiences of Family Vacation with Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Leisure or Work? (Percutian Keluarga bersama Kanak-kanak Autisme: Riadah atau Kerja?)
Abstract
The goal of the travel and tourism industry is to make all travellers happy. The activities in the sector consistently promote multitudinous benefits, such as wellness, rejoicing, and recuperation. The motivation for family tourists is to indulge in tourism activities that can instil family and social values through a family vacation. However, the vacation experience usually differs for families of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to regular families of regular children. The development difficulties in the intellectual and social communication of children with ASD involving a spectrum of emotion, namely happy, frustrated, distressed, and restlessness require special attention from their caregivers during vacation. The purpose of this paper was to analyse vacation experiences in families of children with ASD based on the literature of previous studies. The findings indicated that family vacation promotes self-improvement and opens room for learning about the real world in these targeted children. Nonetheless, the meaning of vacation to the parents of these children exudes notions of conflict and complication that locate mixed feelings. The study aimed at increasing the understanding on family tourists with children of special needs with different characteristics that may benefit the tourism providers and the autism therapists to collaborate on various innovative partnerships, producing platforms to facilitate a safe and enjoyable vacation experience to the targeted family as they travel together. Consequently, this effort can help dispel neglect in the social inclusion aspects regardless of the tourists’ physical or developmental conditions.
Keywords: tourism; family vacation; autism spectrum disorder (ASD); developmental difficulty; children.
Abstract
Matlamat industri pelancongan adalah memastikan semua pelancong bergembira. Aktiviti-aktiviti yang terkandung di dalam sektor ini secara konsisten membentuk pelbagai faedah, seperti, kesejahteraan, kegembiraan, danpemulihan. Motivasi bagi para pelancong keluarga adalah untuk menikmati aktiviti-aktiviti pelanconganyang dapat membentuk nilai kekeluargaan dan sosialmelalui percutian keluarga. Walaubagaimanapun, pengalaman bercuti kebiasaannya berbeza di kalangan keluarga-keluarga yang mempunyai kanak-kanak yang didiagnosisdengan gangguan spektrum autisme (ASD) berbanding dengan keluarga-keluarga yang mempunyai kanak-kanak tumbesaran normal. Kesukaran perkembangan dalam intelektual dan komunikasi sosial yang dihadapi oleh kanak-kanak ASD melibatkan spektrum emosi, iaitu gembira, kecewa, tertekan, dan kegelishanmemerlukan perhatian yang khusus daripada para penjaga mereka semasa bercuti. Matlamat artikel ini adalah untuk menganalisa pengalaman-pengalaman bercuti di kalangan keluarga yang mempunyai kanak-kanak ASD berdasarkan literatur kajian-kajian yang lalu. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa pelancongan keluarga dapat mendorong peningkatan diri dan membuka ruang untuk belajar mengenai dunia sebenar kepada kanak-kanak yang disasarkan ini. Walaupun begitu, erti percutian kepada ibu bapa anak-anak ini adalah suatu konflik dan rumit yang menunjukkan perasaan bercampur-baur. Kajian ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan keperluan khas kumpulan pelancong keluarga yang mempunyai ciri-ciri berbeza yang dapat memberi manfaat kepada pihak penyedia dan ahli terapi carakerja untuk berkolaborasi dalam pelbagai platform inovasi perkongsian, menyediakan platform untuk memudahkan percutian yang selamat dan menyeronokkan kepada keluarga yang disasarkan semasa mereka melancong bersama. Oleh itu, usaha ini dapat membantu membendungpengabaian dalam aspek penyertaan sosial tanpa mengira keadaan fizikal atau keadaan perkembangan pelancong.
Kata kunci: pelancongan; percutian keluarga; gangguan spektrum autisme; kesukaran perkembangan; kanak-kanak.
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