Ajeng A. Widiastuti, Adi Atmoko, Nur Eva, Domingos Soares
This qualitative phenomenological study explores how Indonesian parents theologically and spiritually interpret the experience of raising their firstborn child with autism spectrum disorder in a Javanese cultural context, drawing on in-depth interviews with eight parents – four Catholic and four Muslim – raising six sons and two daughters. The research reveals that spirituality functions not as a supplementary coping mechanism, but as the central axis of meaning-making, transformation and resilience. Findings show that parents consistently reframe their child not as a burden or divine punishment, but as a sacred trust [amanah], a barakah [blessing] or a divine ‘message’, deeply informed by Javanese values such as sabar [limitless patience], legowo [voluntary surrender] and dilakoni dulu [just live it first]. Contribution: This study introduces the ‘Sacred Trust Framework’, a culturally grounded model that integrates biblical and Islamic theology of firstbornness, Javanese-Kejawen cosmology and contemporary disability theology. The framework challenges Western, individualistic models of coping by centring relational spirituality, intergenerational care and embodied liturgies of daily life. By affirming that theology is lived not only in pulpits but in kitchens, therapy rooms, and the quiet perseverance of ordinary families, this research contributes to ‘theology from below’. It offers a counter-narrative to deficit-based paradigms of disability. © 2026. The Authors.
Department of Psychology, State University of Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Early Childhood Teacher Education Program, Faculty of Teacher and Training Education, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga, Indonesia; Department of Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Education, State University of Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Identification and Training, Faculty of Health Training and Research, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Publica, Dili, Indonesia
