INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES OF PARENTS WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

ABSTRACT:Autismis one of the social problems that occur in variousworlds as well as in Indonesia. Thisstudy explores interpersonal communication patterns thatoccur in virtualcommunities of parents who havechildren with autism. Data collection methodwithvirtualethnography. Researchersobserved the WhatsAppGroup (WAG) “Anak Istimewa” whichis a community of parents who have children with autism. In addition toobserving WAG researchersalsoconducted interviews with an expert and ten parents of WAG members. Theparadigm of thisresearchisconstructivism. The resultsshowedthatinterpersonal communication patterns inreducinguncertaintybeganwith WAG membersactivelytelling the problem by opening up. Then, thereis aninteraction betweenmemberswho are experiencinguncertainty and experts whooffer solutions. Interactionsbetweenmembers and experts provide solutions and encourage WAG members to implementdiets toachieverecovery in children with autism.

Keywords:Interpersonal Communication, Virtual community, Autism