Parenting strategies in ASD
Parenting Strategies Used by Parents of Children with ASD: Differential Links with Child Problem Behaviour
In this paper, Liz O'Nions explores a new scale which is designed to measure strategies for problem behaviour in ASD. The results are especially interesting as more than half of those involved in the study were considered to have a PDA profile.
The research found that the 'Parenting Strategies Questionnaire' (which had been described in an earlier paper) was useful as it looks at measures that other scales were less able to consider.
In addition, it showed that the parents of ASD young people who exhibited problem behaviour were more likely to accommodate their children's needs (included making adjustments or allowing things to be done on the child's terms) and would also do more to reduce uncertainty.
The study also measured 'reinforcement approaches', use of discipline and rewards, but these were not found to be more or less used according to the child's behaviour.
This appears to be the first study to show that parents adapt some aspects of their parenting strategies according to the ASD child's behaviour profile.
Authors: Elizabeth O’Nions, Eva Ceulemans, Francesca Happé, Paul Benson, Kris Evers, Ilse Noens
Published: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, online 1 Nov 2019