Military mothers who have a child with autism experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, which affects their parenting self-efficacy. Quantitative investigations are abundant in current research, consequently, identifying how underutilized qualitative methods are in examining this process. Employing Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory approach, this study investigated military mothers and their experiences of acquiring specialized services for their children with autism. The sample was comprised of eight participants from various branches of the military. Participants were military mothers who had a child with autism. Data gathered from in-depth interviews were analyzed using the coding process set forth by Charmaz to produce an emerging theory situated from the experiences and perspectives of the participants. Findings suggested that military mothers develop parenting self-efficacy within the context of social experiences and relationships facilitated by advocacy. Furthermore, the implications from this study suggest that military mothers could increase their parenting self-efficacy by generating social experiences and supportive networks. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]