Fatigue, wellbeing and parental self-efficacy in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder.

Giallo et al. (2013) compared moms of preschoolers with autism to moms of typically developing kids. They asked about tiredness, mood, and how capable the moms felt as parents.

The study used surveys and rating scales. It looked at children aged two to five years old.

Mothers of children with autism reported more fatigue than the other moms. Higher fatigue went hand in hand with lower parenting confidence and poorer well-being.

The link was clear: when moms felt worn out, they also felt less able to parent well.

Kurzrok et al. (2021) built on this idea. They showed that when parents are more involved in intervention and happy with training, their autism-specific confidence rises. Caregiver burden still drags it down.

Lee et al. (2022) pulled together 37 parent-training studies. They found small gains in confidence and mental health, but no change in stress or burden. This seems to clash with Rebecca’s call to tackle fatigue. The gap is method: the meta looked at short classes, not day-to-day energy help.

Shepherd et al. (2021) stepped further. They showed parenting stress, not child symptoms, drives mental health problems. This extends Rebecca’s fatigue link by naming stress as the active pathway.

You already screen child progress. Add one quick fatigue question for parents at intake and each review. If moms report high tiredness, link them to respite, sleep tools, or stress-management groups. Small energy gains can protect parenting confidence and well-being, boosting overall program success.