Impact Of ASD On Families

Across Systems Impact The diagnosis of ASD does not only impact the individual, but also the systems that he/she is embedded in. One of those systems is the family system. Many families perceive the diagnosis of ASD as a loss which in turn creates feelings of grief, stress, and confusion (Hartmann, 2012). Families are then in a stage of a crisis, having to adapt to the change in the dynamics of the family. Life seems to become more complicated and things that were once routine become a lot harder to accomplish. Reports show that parents are more stressed and irritable because parenting a child with ASD is challenging (Hartmann, 2012). Some parents go through a stage of blame for their child’s diagnosis, where the father is blaming the mother

ASD also impacts peer relationships. Building relationships can be difficult for a person diagnosed with ASD, as they have trouble interacting with peers, engaging in activities, and keeping conversations. Deficits in these areas leaves children with ASD lonely and with a lack of friendships. Relationally, people with autism also suffer in school settings because their needs are not fully met. Educators have a hard time creating an environment where peers are accepting of students with autism. Children often realize that there is something different, but are unware that individual has an ASD disorder. Educators also lack the training and skills to deal with the sensitivity that comes with ASD (Lindsay, Thomson, & Scott, 2013). With there being an influx of students having ASD and being in mainstream classrooms, educators are expected to “create an inclusive educational environment,” with little to no guidance on how to do so (Lindsay et al., 2013). Educators report facing numerous challenges and struggling to meet the needs of these students. They often feel inadequate in their ability to meet the students’ academic, social, and behavioral needs, leaving students with ASD to feel that they have not done their best potential

According to Berryessa (2017), individuals with ASD may demonstrate criminal behaviors associated with their symptoms, such as “reactive physical violence when anxious or faced with new environments, sexual misconduct and stalking when misunderstanding social interactions, arson, and computer offenses.” In many cases, people diagnosed with ASD lack the ability to understand that their behaviors come with consequences, therefore they are brought into the criminal justice system with law enforcement that may lack the knowledge or experience in working with individuals with this disability (Berryessa, 2017). Their flat affect and lack of social skills can sometimes be misunderstood by people in the criminal justice system, causing individuals to feel that they have no remorse over their behavior or the crime that they have committed (Berryessa, 2017). Once an individual with ASD is charged, many of the individuals in the criminal justice system face the issue of whether the crime is related to their diagnosis (CEA, 2014). ASD could potentially be a defense in terms of negating the crime to where the individual would not be guilty, or be an excuse to the crime (CEA,