Autism Severity and Qualities of Parent–Child Relations

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2013-01, Vol.43 (1), p.168-178
• Main Authors: Beurkens, Nicole M., Hobson, Jessica A., Hobson, R. Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis; Autism; Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Child Health; Child, Preschool; Children; Correlation; Developmental disorders; Diagnosis; Early Adolescents; Female; Humans; Infantile autism; Interaction; Inventories; Language Acquisition; Language Skills; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent and child; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relationship; Parent-Child Relations; Parent-Child relationships; Parents; Pediatrics; Pervasive developmental disorders; Progeny; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Regression analysis; Relatedness; Risk factors; Severity; Severity (of Disability); Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Video Technology
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1562-4

The aim of this study was to examine how severity of autism affects children’s interactions (relatedness) and relationships with their parents. Participants were 25 parent–child dyads that included offspring who were children with autism aged from 4 to 14 years. The severity of the children’s autism was assessed using the calibrated severity metric of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Gotham et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 39:693–705, 2009 ). Parent–child dyads were videotaped in 10-min semi-structured play interactions, and qualities of interpersonal relatedness were rated with the Dyadic Coding Scales (Humber and Moss in Am J Orthopsychiatr 75(1):128–141, 2005 ). Quality of relationships between parents and children were evaluated with a parent self-report measure, the Parent Child Relationship Inventory (Gerard in Parent–Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) manual. WPS, Los Angeles, 1994 ). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that severity of autism was inversely related to patterns of parent–child interaction but not to reported quality of parent–child relationship. We consider the implications for thinking about relatedness and relationships among children with autism, and opportunities for intervention.