Maladaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism: Parent Support, Stress, and Coping

Background: The estimated prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one in 88. Autism Spectrum Disorders are nearly five times more common among boys than girls. Children with autism may develop a variety of socially unacceptable maladaptive behaviors beyond the defining symptoms of the spectrum disorder.

Aims: It is necessary to conduct research to examine maladaptive behaviors of children with autism, family supports, parental stress, and parental coping.

Methods: Data used were collected during an earlier descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study. Using the Double ABCX Model of family behavior as the framework, this study evaluated parents' views of the adaptive behaviors of their children diagnosed with autism using the networks of support for their family, parental stress, and parental coping patterns.

Results: Results indicate an association between increased Internalizing maladaptive behaviors and increased parental stress (r = .547, p = .000).

Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that parents of children with autism report that their children have clinically significant maladaptive behaviors. Healthcare providers could use results from this study to provide appropriate intervention for maladaptive behaviors to support children with autism and their families.