Mothers of adolescents and adults with autism: parenting multiple children with disabilities.

The team sent surveys to moms who had a teen or adult child with autism. They asked about mood, family closeness, and whether any other child in the home also had a disability.

The mothers were split into two groups: one group had only the autistic child with a disability, the other group had at least one extra child with a disability.

Moms who were raising more than one child with a disability reported more depression and anxiety.

These same moms also said their families felt less flexible and less close.

Kuhn et al. (2018) asked similar moms the same questions and got the same grim numbers. Their work shows the stress link is real and repeats across years.

Williams et al. (2010) looked at moms of younger autistic kids and still saw high stress. They add that even preschool moms feel the squeeze, so the risk starts early.

Giesbers et al. (2020) counted each extra diagnosis in the house like adding weights to a scale. More labels equal more parent pain, matching the pattern Cohn et al. (2007) found.

If you serve a family with an older autistic client, ask one quick question: “Any other kids with special needs?” A yes answer is a red flag for mom’s mental health. Offer extra screening, respite referrals, or a support-group list right then. Five minutes can save years of hidden strain.