Parents of children with Asperger syndrome or with learning disabilities: family environment and social support.
Parents of children with Asperger syndrome feel less family warmth and social support—screen and fill those gaps early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Heiman et al. (2008) compared two groups of parents. One group had children with Asperger syndrome. The other group had children with learning disabilities.
They asked about family life and social support. They used surveys and interviews to collect the data.
What they found
Parents of kids with Asperger syndrome felt less family expressiveness. They also reported weaker social support than the other parents.
The differences were large enough to be significant. This means the gap was real, not just chance.
How this fits with other research
Heald et al. (2020) found the same thing with fathers. Over 70 % of dads raising kids with ASD said support was hard to reach. Both studies show the social-support gap is steady across moms and dads.
Kuusikko-Gauffin et al. (2013) looked deeper. They found these same parents also feel more social anxiety. The worry may explain why support feels out of reach.
Sticinski et al. (2022) showed the problem lasts. Single caregivers of teens and adults with autism still report low support. The need does not fade as the child grows.
Why it matters
Low family expressiveness and weak social support raise parent stress. Stressed parents burn out faster and deliver fewer therapy hours. Add a quick social-support screen to your intake forms. Ask, "Who can you call for help at 2 a.m.?" If the list is short, build respite, parent groups, or peer mentors into the plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The study examined the family environment and perceived social support of 33 parents with a child diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and 43 parents with a child with learning disability, which were compared to 45 parents of children without disabilities as a control group. Parents completed the Family Environment Scale and Social Support Scale questionnaires. The comparison revealed significant differences for expressiveness and family system organization and for social support. Parents with an Asperger child perceived their family's expressive feelings as lower and the family organization as higher, and perceived their friendships and other support as lower than the other groups of parent. Parents of the control group reported the highest family support. The study highlighted the need for additional social support for parents with a child with special needs, and accentuated the importance of developing awareness and intervention programs to facilitate parents' coping abilities and their family interactions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2008 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.05.005