Mothers of children with autism showed remarkable strengths in the parent-child relationship, social support, and stability of the household in the context of high stress and poorer mental health.

Childhood autism is associated with a substantial loss of annual household income. This likely places a significant burden on families in the face of additional out-of-pocket expenditures.

Measuring the quality of life of caregivers is important for interventions designed for young children with asthma. However, little is known about the impact of childhood asthma on parental quality of life for certain subgroups. This study included the families of young urban children with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma. The goal was to evaluate the relationship between caregivers' quality of life and the children's asthma severity, and to consider the influence of sociodemographic factors on the caregivers' quality of life. Children age 3-7 years (63% male, 59% Black, 75% Medicaid), with mild persistent to severe persistent asthma, were identified from a school-based screening survey. Caregiver quality of life was assessed at baseline and at the end of the study using the Paediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between the PACQLQ and parent-reported asthma symptoms during the same time period. For all measures of severity, there was a significant correlation with quality of life (range r=0.23-0.51, all p<.01). Improvements in the PACQLQ correlated with decreases in symptom scores including symptom days (r=-0.27, p<.001) and symptom nights (r=-0.22, p=.005). In a multivariate model, Hispanic ethnicity, the use of daily maintenance medications, and exposure to secondhand smoke independently predicted worse quality of life scores. We conclude that the caretaker's quality of life, as assessed by the PACQLQ, is directly influenced by the child's asthma severity as well as other family factors among a group of young urban children with significant asthma.

Parents of children with ASDs reported less access to and more dissatisfaction with school and community health services than parents of other CSHCN. An increased supply of appropriate services with qualified providers for children with ASDs is needed in the United States.

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Developmental problems and autism spectrum disorder are associated with higher use of child care services and higher probability that child care problems will greatly affect employment. These findings warrant evaluation of the community resources available to families with children with special needs.

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Objective To test the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the SB-PACT program, which includes directly observed therapy of preventive asthma medications in school facilitated by web-based technology for systematic symptom screening, electronic report generation, and medication authorization from providers. Study design We conducted a pilot randomized trial of SB-PACT vs. usual care with 100 children (ages 3-10yrs) from 19 inner-city schools in Rochester, NY. Outcomes were assessed longitudinally by blinded interviewers. Analyses included bivariate statistics and linear regression models, adjusting for baseline symptoms. Results 99 subjects had data for analysis. We screened all children using the web-based system, and 44/49 treatment children received directly observed therapy as authorized by their providers. Treatment children received preventive medications 98% of the time they were in school. Over the school year, children in the treatment group experienced nearly 1 additional symptom-free day/two weeks vs. usual care (11.33 vs. 10.40,p=.13). Treatment children also experienced fewer symptom nights (1.68 vs. 2.20,p=.02), days requiring rescue medications (1.66 vs. 2.44,p=.01) and days absent from school due to asthma (.37 vs. .85,p=.03) compared with usual care. Further, treatment children had a greater decrease in exhaled nitric oxide (−9.62 vs. −.39,p=.03), suggesting reduction in airway inflammation. Conclusion The SB-PACT intervention demonstrated feasibility and improved outcomes across multiple measures in this pilot study. Future work will focus on further integration of preventive care delivery across community and primary care systems.