Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Eswatini: An Assessment of the Challenges and Possible Intervention Strategies
Phumuzani Mpofu 
, Lungile Goodness Mamba & Simangele Mayisela
Issue: Vol.6 No.9 Article 16 pp.1974 – 1989
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256916 | Published online 27th August, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This study examined the experiences of parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Eswatini. ASD is a complex neurological condition that affects brain function, leading to difficulties in various developmental areas such as social interaction, communication, and behaviour. It usually becomes apparent within the first three years of a child’s life. This qualitative study, grounded in bioecological systems theory, aimed at uncovering the challenges faced by 20 parents of children with ASD in Eswatini, as well as the strategies they employ to manage their children’s unique behaviours and the effective parenting approaches they use to care for them. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study sheds light on the experiences of these parents, using interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify emerging themes and patterns. The findings obtained revealed various challenges, including lack of financial support, lack of awareness, delayed diagnosis and difficult access to support services, among others. The study recommended strategies that can support parents living with autistic children, including various forms of therapy, teaching self-regulation, giving love, joining support groups, learning more about the condition and acquiring skills to manage the condition. The findings could offer valuable information to policymakers and support services, helping to develop future welfare plans, educational resources, and social support systems for vulnerable families in Eswatini and potentially other developing countries.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parenting, Intervention Strategies, Eswatini
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Dr. Phumuzani Mpofu is an Educational Psychologist registered with the Eswatini Medical and Dental Council. He holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from North West University and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand. His research spans child development, parenting, gerontology, inclusive education, gender issues, sexual offenses, assessments, sustainable development, and corporal punishment. He has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter on teacher placement during teaching practice, and developed a module on School Inspection for the Institute of Development Management (IDM). Dr. Mpofu began his career in teaching, progressing to leadership roles as Head of Department in schools and colleges across Zimbabwe and Eswatini. In higher education, he served as a research coordinator at AMADI/MSU, supervising numerous research projects from diploma to master’s level. He has peer-reviewed over 10 academic articles and actively mentors PhD candidates and emerging researchers, especially in Eswatini. His goal is to contribute extensively to academia and attain a professorship.
Lungile Mamba holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the Eswatini College of Theology. She is at the beginning of her academic and professional journey in the field of psychology, which she has recently entered as a developing career. Despite being early in her career, she has already published one peer-reviewed journal article, with two additional manuscripts currently under review.
Dr. Simangele Mayisela is a Senior Lecturer and the Educational Psychologist in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. She was a three consecutive years Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa fellowship holder for her Doctoral degree, which she obtained from the University of Cape Town. She is currently lecturing on Psychoanalytic psychotherapy and Play Therapy at the Masters level and Cognitive Psychology at the undergraduate level. Her research interests are embedded in the appropriation of the Psychoanalytic and the Cultural Historical Activity Theory as epistemological lenses to understand nuances of parent-child, teacher-child relations, and intergenerational violence, and trauma, with specific reference to corporal punishment.
Mpofu, Phumuzani, Lungile Goodness Mamba, and Simangele Mayisela. “Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Eswatini: An Assessment of the Challenges and Possible Intervention Strategies,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 9 (2025): 1974- 1989, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256916.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
