Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents in the Transition into Higher Education: Impact on Dynamics in the Parent-Child Relationship.
Autistic freshmen and their parents fight over autonomy, disclosure and support—clinicians can prevent the fight by front-loading explicit agreements.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Van Hees et al. (2018) talked with autistic students and their parents together. They asked how the move to college changed the parent-child bond.
The team held joint interviews. They wanted to see where expectations clashed and stress grew.
What they found
Both sides felt high stress. Parents wanted to keep helping. Students wanted full control.
The clash slowed the shift to an adult, mutual relationship.
How this fits with other research
Van Hees et al. (2015) showed student-only views. The 2018 study adds the parent angle and shows the clash inside the bond.
Schertz et al. (2018) found students delay disclosure and avoid supports. The 2018 data explain why: students fear parent control if they ask for help.
Giesbers et al. (2020) saw high praise yet low use of campus help. The 2018 findings link this gap to family fights over who should manage support.
Why it matters
You can open the conversation before move-in day. Ask the student, "Who do you want in charge of help?" Ask the parent, "What would stepping back look like?" Put the answers in the transition plan. One clear meeting now can save months of tug-of-war later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined how 34 senior students and first-year college students with autism spectrum disorder, their mothers (n = 34) and fathers (n = 26) navigate the higher education transition, and how this context impacts on dynamics in the parent-child relationships. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed based on grounded theory and dyadic analysis principles. Both parties were confronted with an abundance of challenges and experienced strong feelings of ambivalence, stress and anxiety. Differences in perspectives occurred regarding the construction of adulthood, the acquisition of autonomy, disclosure and subscribing to support services. These differences caused tensions in the parent-child relationship, hindering the transformation of the relationship into an adult-like mutual relationship. Clinical implications are extrapolated on the basis of these findings.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3593-y