ABSTRACT
This article examines the social encounters of mothers with children with autism within the spaces of various special education institutions in Istanbul and analyzes the socialization practices that emerge in the context of the relationship between space and people The study adopted the constructivist grounded theory approach, which is one of the sub-designs of qualitative research, in order to conduct this problematization and to generate new conceptual insights. Nineteen mothers living in Istanbul, each having a child with autism aged between 6 and 18 years and enrolled in a special education institution, participated in face-to-face in-depth interviews based on a semi-structured interview form. The qualitative data were coded step by step with the MAXQDA software and themes were identified to construct a meaningful structure. The findings show that these spaces provide leisure for the participants, bring them together with people who share similar social characteristics, create a sense of belonging and support socialization with positive effects. Drawing on existing theoretical discussions, these spaces are conceptualized as spaces of restorative mirrors and the leisure that enables socialization within them is defined as interdependent leisure. Accordingly, this study seeks to offer a theoretical perspective on the spaces that have been neglected in research involving mothers of children with autism.