Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 52 8 2023 08 06 1626 1641 EN Ehsan Jamshidian University of social welfare and rehabilitation sciences Elahe Hojati Abed PhD in Occupational Therapy, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Elahe Fathi Azar MSc in Occupational Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mozhdeh Hashemzadeh PhD Candidate in Medical Librarianship and Information Science, Department of Medical Library and Information Science, School of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Clinical Informationist Research Group, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Hooshang Mirzaie PhD in Occupational Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hossein Sourtiji Assistant professor, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 2022 06 28 2022 12 21 Background: Autism is a lifelong condition that seriously affects many aspects of children's and families' lives. The experience attained by living with a child with autism can be a valuable source of information to provide support and satisfactory services to children with autism and their families. We aimed to investigate the lived experiences of Iranian parents of children with autism. Methods: The search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SID, and Magiran until Nov 2021. Two reviewers screened the articles, applied inclusion criteria, critically evaluated articles using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP), and extracted study details according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Thematic synthesis was used to analyze included studies.  Results: From 2772 articles in the initial search, sixteen studies entered the final analysis. Four themes emerged, including treatment-related lived experience, individual lived experience, social lived experience, and occupational lived experience. Iranian parents of children with autism are confronted with negative experiences, including inaccurate diagnostic processes, lack of adequate support at the diagnosis time, low-quality treatment, psychological problems, and concern about the child's future. Also, Parent's experiences showed family problems, stigma, and problems with doing occupations. Conclusion: Practitioners, policy-makers, and regulatory organizations should urgently consider issues mentioned in the parents' experiences to provide proper healthcare services for children with autism and their families.  https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/29128 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/29128/8006