Characterizing Accommodations by Parents of Young Children with Autism: A Mixed Methods Analysis.
Nine in ten families of young autistic children remake daily life—factor those accommodations into every behavior plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dai et al. (2023) asked parents of young autistic children to list the changes they make at home.
Families told stories and filled out checklists.
The team looked at who makes the most changes and why.
What they found
Nine out of ten families said they changed daily life in the past year.
Parents with less money, older kids, or more problem behavior reported more changes.
Families with marginalized identities also adapted more areas of life.
How this fits with other research
Farley et al. (2022) show that about half of autistic 2-7-year-olds have motor delays.
Those delays may explain why families move furniture, carry kids, or skip playground trips.
Sundberg-Alley et al. (2026) add that wandering is common in ASD.
Parents then lock doors, add alarms, or use GPS trackers.
Together the three papers paint one picture: safety and motor needs push families to adapt routines every day.
Why it matters
Expect parents to arrive tired and stretched.
Build accommodations into parent training: teach them to embed therapy goals inside the locks, schedules, and carry routines they already use.
Ask about wandering and motor issues at intake so you can shape plans that fit real life.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Symptoms of autism influence families' participation in daily activities, but few studies have broadly explored the types of accommodations caregivers make to their family's routines after their child is diagnosed with autism. The current study used a mixed-methods approach to characterize the rate and types of accommodations made by 171 families and the child and family characteristics that predicted accommodations. Most families (91%) endorsed making accommodations in the past year. Lower income, older child age, marginalized racial/ethnic identity, and higher levels of child problem behavior predicted accommodations in a greater number of domains. Thematic analysis illuminated the types of accommodations caregivers made and their motivation for making these lifestyle adjustments. Findings have important implications for parent-mediated interventions and policy.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2023 · doi:10.1177/1362361318820762