Parental Perceptions and Child Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Autism.
Parents who see autism as outside-caused or burdensome report more child problems, so screen for these beliefs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked parents how they think about autism. They used a written survey.
Parents rated whether they see autism as caused by outside things, upsetting, or a heavy load.
They also asked parents to score their child’s emotional and behavior problems.
What they found
Parents who think autism comes from the outside world reported more child problems.
Parents who called autism upsetting or burdensome also reported more problems.
The child’s actual issues were not checked by clinicians; the link is in the parent view.
How this fits with other research
Harrington et al. (2006) already showed that parents who blame outside causes trust doctors less. Stephens et al. (2018) now show these same beliefs color how big the problems look.
Hines et al. (2012) interviewed older parents who spoke of feeling “buried.” The new survey proves this burden talk is tied to higher problem scores across a wider age range.
Kocher et al. (2015) found parents who recall skill loss often point to vaccines. The 2018 paper widens the lens: any outside-cause belief, not just vaccines, links to more reported problems.
Why it matters
When you meet a family, ask what they think caused autism. If they say toxins, vaccines, or fate, expect them to list more behavior worries. Use this cue to give extra empathy, teach data-based tracking, and celebrate small gains. Shifting the story from blame to skill-building may lighten the load parents feel and the numbers they report.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Emotional and behavioral difficulties in children with autism often present problems for families seeking appropriate treatment interventions. Using data from the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services, ordinal logistic regression models were used to examine the association between parental perceptions about autism and their reports of child emotional and behavioral problems. Results showed that parents who attributed their child's autism to environmental factors, experienced emotional upset or confusion about autism, or perceived the condition to be pervasive or burdensome, were more likely to reported clinically significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. Findings suggest that support services must consider parent perceptions when developing interventions to assist with children's emotional and behavioral challenges. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3288-9