Objective To investigate the status of parenting stress in the primary care-givers of children diagnosed with autistic disorder and sum up the nursing strategies. Methods Seventy-eight primary care-givers of children diagnosed with autistic disorder were interviewed using the parenting stress index-short form (PSI-SF). Results The mean score of parenting stress was 104.08 ± 18.32, which was at a high level. The 3 subscales score from high to low:parenting anxiety(36.22 ± 8.46);disabled children (35.64 ± 6.41);parent-child interation disorder(32.01 ± 7.15). Conclusion Medical staff should pay more attertion to these care-givers in order to enhance their ability to cope with various problems in the parenting process and hence reduce the level of parenting pressure.