One study examined the impact that spiritual or religious faith had on families with autistic children. In this study 49 families of autistic children were examined for signs of stress either psychologically, emotionally or health wise. The study looked at participants who had autistic children between the ages of 4 and 20 years old. The study concluded that parents who have a strong religious or spiritual faith and support from religious groups showed a stress level that was no higher than families that do not have an autistic child (Pargament, 2001). The study attributed part of this contentment to the belief by parents that a higher power placed the autistic child in their life for a reason and he or she was one of God's gifts designed for that family. In addition, the support socially and emotionally that the parents derived from religious belonging helped the parents feel less alone as they dealt with the day-to-day elements of having a child with autism (Haworth, 1996).
Another study discovered that effective and consistent management of an autistic child's behavior toward a sibling helps to reduce the family's overall stress level significantly.
The study used interviews with families that had an autistic sibling and an autistic child. In the interview family members were asked to openly discuss the behavior of the autistic child toward siblings and the reactions of the sibling and the other family members when this occurred (Singer, 2001).
Families were encouraged to discuss arguments and aggressive actions between siblings regardless of how they had been handled and who the parents believed the primary aggressor was.
The study found that parents who received a measure of parental training in how to handle such relationships between their children were more successful at both managing the problem behavior and reducing the overall family stress formerly caused by the autistic child and sibling problems.
The study was conducted over a 26-month period and included families that received training with regard to autistic sibling relationships and families that did not receive the training (Singer, 2001).
The training consisted of parents learning to only intervene during times when the autistic child would become aggressive. Participants were also taught to communicate with their autistic sibling using small words and short sentences as well as a basic understanding of autism and its implications.
The...
1) Connor (2002) states that studies report findings that mothers of children with Autism "who showed greater satisfaction" in life were those "who made the clearest redefinitions and who were most willing to follow alternative ways of gaining self-fulfillment." (p. 1) II. EFFECTS on LIFE of FAMILY in NORMAL ACTIVITIES In the work entitled: 'Autism and the Family" reported is a study conducted in a 12th grade classroom at 'Our Lady of
Autism is a problem with significant negative impacts on affected children and their parents/families who require wide-ranging support services for their children. For family members, the condition generates distress when raising the affected child due to the psychological and social problems it creates. Therefore, the consideration of parental mental health is an important aspect for social workers and mental healthcare providers when attending to these special needs' kids and creating
A Prescription for HealthHypothetical PatientThe patient is a 5-year-old boy who presents with difficulties in social interaction and communication. He has poor eye contact, appears aloof, and seems uninterested in interacting with others. He has repetitive behaviors and interests, and he is particularly interested in parts of objects rather than the whole object. He has difficulty understanding the perspectives of others and does not seem to be aware of the
Autism is a developmental disorder as it is marked with pervasive and severe impairment revolving around areas of development such as communication, imagination, reciprocal interaction and behavior. The diagnostic criteria for autism as incorporated by the DSM IV TR includes symptoms such as impairment in the use of nonverbal behaviors like eye contact, gestures, bodily postures during the normal routine social interaction, the inability to form good peer relationships, delay
A brief but insightful article that stresses the importance of communication is Autistic Kids Benefit from Dads' Involvement. This also applies to the issue of parental stress but echoes other studies that emphasize the importance of communication skills in treating autistic children. There article notes that autism is a disability or disorder that appears during the first three years of life and is characterized by problems interacting and communicating with
Mary Law entitled: "Autism Spectrum Disorders and Occupational Therapy' states of the autistic child that this child "may be the child who is standing in the middle of the field at recess spinning around in circles, or she may be the child who can't stand the way a certain fabric feels on her body or the way a certain texture of food feels in her mouth, or it may
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now