Caregivers Of Autistic Children Research Articles

Experienced Burden by Caregivers of Autistic Children

Experienced Burden by Caregivers of Autistic Children

Evidence of increased PTSD symptoms in autistics exposed to applied behavior analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in adults and children who were exposed to applied behavior analysis (ABA) autism early childhood intervention. Using an online questionnaire to survey autistic adults and caregivers of autistic children, the author collected data from 460 respondents on demographics, intervention types, and current pathological behaviors with symptom severity scales. This study noted PTSS in nearly half of ABA-exposed participants, while non-exposed controls had a 72 percent chance of being asymptomatic. ABA satisfaction ratings for caregivers averaged neutral or mild satisfaction. In contrast, adult satisfaction with ABA was lower on average and also tended to take on either extremely low or extremely high ratings. Exposure to ABA predicted a higher rate and more severe PTSS in participants, but the duration of exposure did not affect satisfaction with the intervention in caregivers.Design/methodology/approachParticipants were recruited for an online survey through social media networks, adult gatherings, social skills groups, and autism support groups nationwide. Adult inclusion criteria consisted of autism – diagnosed or self-diagnosed – and an age of 18 or older. A total of 460 respondents, consisting of autistic adults and caregivers of autistic children, completed an online survey. The caregiver entries (n=217) concerned 79 percent male children, 21 percent female children (male to female 3.80:1), and one MtF transgender child, ages 1-38, with an average age at diagnosis of 4.69 years. The adult entries (n=243) concerned 30 percent males, 55 percent females (male to female 0.55:1), and 14 percent other gender, ages 18-73, with an average age at diagnosis of 25.38 years.FindingsNearly half (46 percent) of the ABA-exposed respondents met the diagnostic threshold for PTSD, and extreme levels of severity were recorded in 47 percent of the affected subgroup. Respondents of all ages who were exposed to ABA were 86 percent more likely to meet the PTSD criteria than respondents who were not exposed to ABA. Adults and children both had increased chances (41 and 130 percent, respectively) of meeting the PTSD criteria if they were exposed to ABA. Both adults and children without ABA exposure had a 72 percent chance of reporting no PTSS (see Figure 1). At the time of the study, 41 percent of the caregivers reported using ABA-based interventions.Originality/valueThe majority of adult respondents were female, raising questions about the population of online autistic survey respondents. Further, the high numbers of reported gender other than male or female in the adult respondents, as well as at least on MtF child from the caregiver respondents indicates that future studies should consider these intersections. These accompanied significant discrepancies in reporting bias between caregivers and ABA-exposed individuals, which highlight the need for the inclusion of the adult autistic voice in future intervention design. Based on the findings, the author predicts that nearly half of ABA-exposed autistic children will be expected to meet the PTSD criteria four weeks after commencing the intervention; if ABA intervention persists, there will tend to be an increase in parent satisfaction despite no decrease in PTSS severity.

Stress, Burden and Coping between Caregivers of Cerebral Palsy and Autism Children

The objective of the study was to find the difference in stress, burden and coping between caregivers with cerebral palsy and autism children. 30 caregivers having children with cerebral palsy and 30 caregivers having children with autism were part of the study. The age of the caregivers ranged between 23-40 years. For the study caregivers of children aged between 7-12 years were considered. A between group research design with purposive sampling technique was opted for the study. After obtaining socio-demographic details the caregivers were administered Parenting Stress Index (Short Form), Schedule to Assess Burden and Coping Checklist. The data was subjected to ‘t’ test to find the significant difference between the two sample groups. Results revealed that there was significant difference in stress, burden and coping between caregivers of cerebral palsy children and caregivers of autistic children.

What does Cronbach’s alpha tell us about the EQ-5D? A methodological commentary to “Psychometric properties of the EuroQol Five-Dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) in caregivers of autistic children”

What does Cronbach’s alpha tell us about the EQ-5D? A methodological commentary to “Psychometric properties of the EuroQol Five-Dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) in caregivers of autistic children”

Caregiver interactions with autistic children.

Caregiver interactions with young autistic children were contrasted with those involving caregivers and developmentally matched mentally retarded and normal infants. Caregivers of autistic children were similar to other caregivers in their responsiveness to child nonverbal communication bids and in their engagement in mutually sustained play. Caregivers of autistic children were similar to caregivers of mentally retarded children in their greater use of control strategies. However, these two groups of caregivers differed in the particular strategies they used to shape their children's behavior. Caregivers of mentally retarded children pointed to objects while caregivers of autistic children spent more time physically holding their children on task. Individual differences within the autistic sample indicated that caregivers regulated their children's behavior less and showed more mutual play and positive feedback to more communicatively able autistic children. These findings suggest that caregivers respond differentially to the specific deficiencies shown by their children.