Family level processes associated with outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review

Greenlee, Jessica L; Winter, Marcia A.; Diehl, Joshua

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2018.06.002

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Exploration of relationships between additional household variables and functional independence was not possible with the current sample due to the lack of variables capturing family structure, and household context. Family and household context such as parent stress, family emotional climate, household chaos, routines, or parent wellbeing has been connected to behavioral outcomes for children with and without ASD (Adams et al, 2019;Greenlee et al, 2018;Hall & Graff, 2012;Hickey et al, 2019;Marsh et al, 2020). Future research should expand on these preliminary findings to further characterize the associations identified and explore how additional factors may be related to measures of income and functional independence outcomes for children with ASD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Relationships Between Household Income and Functional Independent Behavior for Children With Autism

John

Ausderau

2021

OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

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Children in lower income households are less likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and diagnosis is often delayed. Lack of or delayed identification of ASD minimizes a child’s ability to receive effective early intervention services that support development of functional independence skills. Research has yet to identify relationships between functional independence and household income for children with ASD. A cross-sectional national survey with 231 caregivers of children with autism aged 2–12 years was conducted. Caregivers completed a 90-min survey examining family demographics, intervention services, autism symptom severity, and children’s functional behavioral outcomes. Significant differences in functional independence behavior scores were identified for children from the highest and lowest income categories when controlling for autism symptom severity, age of diagnosis, and receipt of intervention services. This study provides preliminary evidence to support the association between income and functional independent behavior for children with ASD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Relationships Between Household Income and Functional Independent Behavior for Children With Autism

John

Ausderau

2021

OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

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“…Adopting an ecological model of understanding families as a mechanism for intervention aligns with the perspective of researchers who clearly delineate the importance of community embedded and stakeholder engaged research that has potential for real-life contextual change (Dingfelder & Mandell, 2011). Applying socioecological approaches within research on families with a child with autism can optimally capture the nuanced experience of the interrelationships among multiple family members (Greenlee et al, 2018;Tint & Weiss, 2016) rather than relying on traditionally reported maternal perspectives alone. Cridland et al (2014) specifically underscore the need for qualitative research approaches to investigate the multifaceted relationships between individual members within families of a child with autism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Exploring the health of families with a child with autism

Smith

McQuade

2021

Autism

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Families provide a critical context for the overall growth and development of a child. The health of a family is foundational to the everyday life in which a child and family can flourish. For families raising a child with autism, the chronic, intense nature of everyday life threatens family health in part due to increased parental stress and potential centralization of the child with autism in family functioning. The present study sought to understand how families of children with autism perceived and experienced their own family health and to identify what factors and processes families identified as contributing to their health. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 families with a child with autism ages 2-17. Interviews occurred in person and with all members present to the extent possible. Sixteen mothers, eight fathers, and 32 children (18 with autism) participated. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Researchers analyzed data using inductive content analyses to generate results. Findings suggest families experience family health as a journey grounded within family identity and marked by five themes: connection, balance, the centralization of autism, stress, and support systems. Findings contribute relevant considerations for service providers working to support children with autism and their families. Lay abstract Families are important for the overall growth and development of a child. The health of a family is foundational to the everyday life in which a child and family can blossom. Families with a child with autism have a family life that has challenges for many reasons including that parents can be stressed from trying to figure out how to be a good parent for their child with autism. We wanted to know two things: (1) what is family health for families of a child with autism and (2) what affects families trying to be their healthiest. We wanted to know the answers to these questions from families themselves, including parents (not just moms) and children, because they are the best experts. We talked to 16 families including 16 mothers, 8 fathers, and 32 children (18 with autism). Families shared that being a healthy family was a journey with ups and downs and that families were not always perfect. It helped when families knew about themselves as a family such as knowing what they liked and did not like to do, and knowing what the different people in the family needed. Families said that what affected their family’s health was being together, keeping their days not too busy, stress, autism itself, having helpers like friends, grandparents, therapists, and having money to pay for services. We hope that knowing these answers will guide service providers of people with autism to think about healthy families.

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“…The current study supports the use of ecological models to explain mental health comorbidities in youth with ASD. Many have called for such theoretically driven research (Cridland et al, 2014;Greenlee et al, 2018) but few have tested these types of models in ASD samples. This study directly responds to these calls and provides initial empirical evidence for the utility of these types of models in moving research forward.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression symptoms in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A contextual approach to mental health comorbidities

Greenlee

Winter

Johnson

2020

Journal of Adolescence

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Introduction: Although research on mental health comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased in recent years, little has been done to evaluate potential individual × environment interactions associated with these comorbidities. The current study explored whether ASD-related characteristics (social-communication impairment) and environmental factors (peer and family contexts) had additive or interactive effects on the depression symptoms of youth with ASD. Method: In a cross-sectional sample of adolescents with ASD (N = 176; 13-17 years old; 72.7% male), primary caregivers and adolescents responded to a series of surveys online pertaining to adolescents' mental health (Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale), family functioning (Self-Report of Family Inventory), and experiences of peer victimization (Peer Experiences Questionnaire-Revised). Results: There were statistically signiicant interactions between social-communication skills and the environment in both family (△R 2 = 0.02) and peer (△R 2 = 0.02) contexts. For youth with better social-communication skills, there was a positive association between peer victimization and depression symptoms and a negative association between family competence and depression symptoms. Conclusion: Findings support social-push interactive models in which better social-communication skills are associated with fewer depression symptoms in the context of less-stressful peer and family environments, highlight the utility of ecologically informed approaches to the mental health of youth with ASD, and suggest several areas for future study.Ecological and systems theories of development highlight the interaction between characteristics of an individual and their many contextual environments (Bronfenbrenner, 1986;Danforth, 2013 Danforth, , pp. 1046 Danforth, -1050. While these types of theories have been widely applied to understanding the mental health of neurotypical populations, research on the mental health of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication, and persistent patterns of restricted, repetitive behaviors that appear early and continue across the lifespan (APA, 2013) -has only recently begun to adopt ecological approaches (e.g., Derguy et al., 2016). Comorbid mental and physical health conditions, including attention-deicit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and mood problems, epilepsy, gastrointestinal symptoms, challenging behavior, and sleep problems, are common in individuals with ASD (Matson & Goldin, 2013). Certain individual characteristics, including

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Family level processes associated with outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review

Cited by 16 publications

References 61 publications

Relationships Between Household Income and Functional Independent Behavior for Children With Autism

Relationships Between Household Income and Functional Independent Behavior for Children With Autism

Exploring the health of families with a child with autism

Depression symptoms in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A contextual approach to mental health comorbidities

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