Almost everyone has encountered a child or someone with some level of autism, but whenever we passed by them we never really stop to think about how this illness affects their lifestyle. To be totally honest, I never really thought about it either until my mother befriended someone who has a child with autism. She really wanted to meet me; therefore she once invited me to dinner at her house where I met her husband and her son. During dinner, I was able to have a better insight of their lifestyle and the struggles they encounter when they have an autistic child. One of those problems that most impacted me was the constant debate of whether taking their autistic child to a facility that provides food, room, and schooling. Her husband rejected the idea of taking their child to an unknown place completely and thought the idea was simply a selfish way to get rid of their child so they do not have to deal with raising him/her. Although this method is not his cup of tea, my mother’s friend actually thought it was a reasonable way to help them cope with the stress of raising a child with this kind of illness. Their situation made me think about all the other methods that a parent can take if they do not want to send their child to a facility and how these methods affect their stress levels. Therefore I want to explore how having a child with autism affects parent’s stress and if methods to treat autism helps reduce stress levels or any other psychological concerns parents come across.
During my research I wanted to know if individuals who have a child with autism have an increase in stress levels or any other health problems. Therefore, I researched autism and parents and I found a journal article from Journal Of Child & Family Studie...
... middle of paper ...
... "Cost comparison of early intensive behavioral intervention and special education for children with autism." Journal of Child and Family Studies 16.3 (2007): 401+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.
Grindle, C. F., Kovshoff, H., Hastings, R. P., & Remington, B. (2009). Parents' Experiences of Home-Based Applied Behavior Analysis Programs for Young Children with Autism. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders, 39(1), 42-56.
Lyons, A. M., Leon, S. C., Phelps, C., & Dunleavy, A. M. (2010). The Impact of Child Symptom Severity on Stress Among Parents of Children with ASD: The Moderating Role of Coping Styles. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 19(4), 516-524.
Weiss, J., & Lunsky, Y. (2011). The Brief Family Distress Scale: A Measure of Crisis in Caregivers of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 20(4), 521-528.
This Clinical Research Paper defines autism, the various impacts of the disorder, and the theories that can be applied to this type family dynamic. The basis of this research project stems from the semi- structured interviews that Ashley Hartmann conducted. She studied half on the perspectives of the siblings and that of the parent’s perspective and discovered various themes that arose from this study. In findings a total of 12 themes emerged between the siblings and parents; in the sibling interviews; knowledge of Autism, affect on relationships, feelings of sibling’s autism diagnosis, future care for sibling, meaning, acceptance and advice and extended family. In the parent’s interviews, feelings around autism, knowledge around autism, life changes, affect on relationships, support systems and acceptance, meaning and advice. She also highlights the stress that affects the family system, but also reveals the many resources and services to better assist these individuals and their family.
Unfortunately, a lot of parents may have a difficult time accepting their child, and coping with their needs and the responsibilities. From the book “The Elephant in the Playroom,” some families dealt with depression and physical and mental deterioration of their health. These struggles were shown in the story by Laura Cichoracki. Laura’s son’s name was Patrick. Patrick was a 6-years-old boy with autism. “I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t showering regularly, I wasn’t sleeping well” (Brodey, p. 64). I also read the story told by Susan Marrash-Minnerly, which highlighted emotions that parents face. Susan also shed light on how wonderful children with special needs can be to a family, such as her ten-year-old third grader who had autism. Susan talked about how it was normal to feel angry at times, especially with the ups and downs a child’s disability may come with. “When I look back, I want to tell other parents that a child’s future is worth grieving over – but it’s not the end of the world” (Brodey, p. 75). After reading these stories, it became apparent to me that families who are raising kids with special needs, need support, kindness, and available resources. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by other moms who understood my pain…who could be supportive and emphatic.” (Brodey, p. 67). Overall, educators can use this kind of information that was shared in “The Elephant in the Playroom” about family systems and risk/resiliency by creating lines of open communication between families. This is to connect parents together that share similar struggles. By creating open communication is can allows for the teacher and parents to be on the same page when it comes to the issues affecting special needs students and
“The Contribution of Applied Behavior Analysis to the Education of People with Autism” Behav Modif., by Rosenwasser, B., and Axelrod S., published in 2001, summarized Oct 19, 2006
Stoner, J. B., & Thompson, S. J. (2005). Welcome to our World: Parent perceptions of interactions between parents of young children with ASD and education professionals. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(1), 39-51.
Early intervention is effective in treating autism spectrum disorder in many ways. One important way it has been proven effective by research is by increasing a child’s cognitive skills. When a child is first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, they will likely be diagnosed as having a cognitive delay. Research shows that early invention services, such as applied behavior analysis, occupational, and speech therapy has helped increase IQ scores in children with autism spectrum disorder. In one study, children who received up to twenty hours a week of early intervention services had an average rise in IQ points of 17.6 (Solis, 2010). This increase in cognitive skills benefited children in the classroom setting. After receiving extensive early intervention treatment, children typically performed better on standardized testing. With an increase in cognitive skills and better achievement on standardized testing, children were able to be placed in less restrictive classroom settings (Smith, 199...
Every year doctors diagnose thousands of adults and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Due to the growing awareness of autism and recent developments in technology, scientists and doctors can now discover and observe the effects of autism on society, and people. Starting with its discovery, researchers have been able to diagnose people more effectively. Doctors are beginning to discover what causes this disorder, and are currently trying to find ways to prevent and treat it. Many places have opened their doors to people with this disorder, creating autistic friendly environments where people are patient and understanding. Schools have also become accommodating to autistic children and adults. Autism also puts great strain on family and home lives.
Grandpeesheh, D, Tarbox, J, & Dixon, D. (2009). Applied behavior analytic interventions for children with autism: a description and review of treatment research. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 21(3), 63-173.
Boyd, B. A. (2002). Examining the relationship between stress and lack of social support in mothers of children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 208-215.
"The Affects of Autism in Families and in Partner Relationships - Autism College." Autism College. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
..., Tager- Flusberg, H.,& Lainhart, J. E. (2006). Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: Interview development and rates of disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 36(7), 849-861.
Children who suffer from ASD usually have the appearance of normal development and then become withdrawn and regress from social interaction (Melinda Smith, 2013). The impaired social interaction of the disorder affects communication both verbally and non- verbally (Melinda Smith, 2013). Their communication with others and the world around them is also affected, as well as their thinking and behavior (Melinda Smith, 2013).
Many treatments have been suggested to parents for children with autism. An Internet survey was carried out and allocated to parents in order to classify the treatments applied by parents of children with autism. Almost all 108 of the 111 treatments recorded in the survey were used by at least one parent. An overall of 764 surveys were presented to the website throughout the 3-month data gathering tim...
Autism is an intricate developmental disorder that is characteristically noticed by parents and or diagnosed by parents between the ages of eight-teen months and three years of age. In recent studies, Werner (2001) isolated themes from in-depth interviews conducted with different parents of children with autism. These themes included the following findings: the family’s life revolves around dealing with the child’s autism and unusual behaviors; parents feel losses because they and their children cannot lead a so called normal life; and the family experiences only fleeting moments of actually feeling like a typical family. Autism does not effect a particular type of person it occurs in all social, racial, and ethnic groups.
Dempsey, I. & Foreman, P. ( 2001). A Review of Educational Approaches for Individuals with Autism. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48 (1), 105-116.
Most people take the simple things in life for granted. But for others those simple things are great struggles. Things like social skills and staying focused are struggles for people with autism. When you look up the definition of autism the most common thing that pops up is “Difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors” (What is Autism?). But the difficulties for people with autism vary with each type they have. In the five different disorders in ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), there are many variations of symptoms and who it affects. The people living with autism face hard struggles every day.