The creator did not give me more than I can handle: Exploring coping in parents of Black autistic children.
Black parents already use church, kin, and peer ties to survive autism stress—write these into plans instead of starting fresh.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team talked with Black parents who raise autistic children. They asked open questions about daily stress and how the parents keep going.
Parents named church prayer, grandma’s help, and friend networks as key supports. The study recorded these stories word for word.
What they found
Faith, family, and other parents were the top three coping tools. One mom said, 'The creator did not give me more than I can handle.'
Parents wanted doctors to use these same supports instead of ignoring them.
How this fits with other research
Kaiser et al. (2022) took the next step. They built these exact tools—church space, Black parent leaders—into a parent class and saw high turnout and joy.
Laposa et al. (2017) ran an earlier trial that paired Black and Hispanic caregivers with trained peer parents. That study cut stress and lifted autism knowledge, showing the power peers already had.
Han et al. (2022) reviewed studies where autistic people themselves talk about stigma. Their paper shows camouflaging and disclosure choices, while the target paper shows how parents buffer stigma through spirit and kin. The views differ because one asks autistic adults and the other asks parents—both can be true at once.
Why it matters
You do not need to invent new supports—families already carry them. Start service plans by asking, 'Who is your prayer partner?' or 'Which aunt watches the kids?' Then fold those people into goals, meetings, and respite. This simple shift honors culture, lifts engagement, and costs nothing.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Parents of Black autistic children use several strategies to cope with daily stressors. These strategies include seeking social support, self-care, and optimism. We asked parents about their experiences receiving treatment services for their autistic child and how they reduce parenting stress. Twenty-two parents completed a coping survey and participated in individual interviews. Few studies have explored the experiences of Black families raising autistic children, and it's important for healthcare and other systems of care to understand the role culture, race, and ethnicity play in the use of coping strategies. In our study, the majority of parents relied on social support to relieve stress and identified partners, family, and community members, as their most useful sources of support. Connecting with other parents of autistic children, through support groups and social media, also helped parents relieve stress. Parents discussed using self-care activities (e.g. church, exercising, listening to music) to cope with stressors. Several parents described how prayer and meditation helped them reframe stressful situations and gain more patience and appreciation for "what's important." The findings of this work demonstrate the need for professionals to have ongoing and deeper conversations about the ways in which parents deal with stressors. In particular, clinicians should leverage the strengths of Black families and promote strategies that are culturally informed and engaged.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022 · doi:10.1177/13623613211070865