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. 2015:2015:381236.
doi: 10.1155/2015/381236. Epub 2015 Oct 29.

Parenting Behavior in Mothers of Preschool Children with ASD: Development of a Self-Report Questionnaire

Greet Lambrechts  1 , Jarymke Maljaars  1 , Hannah Boonen  1 , Lotte van Esch  1 , Karla Van Leeuwen  2 , Ilse Noens  1
Affiliations

Parenting Behavior in Mothers of Preschool Children with ASD: Development of a Self-Report Questionnaire

Greet Lambrechts et al. Autism Res Treat. 2015.

Abstract

Parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encounter many daily challenges and often experience much stress. However, little research exists about parenting behavior among these parents. With this study, we aim to address this gap. We examined the structure and internal consistency of a questionnaire intended to measure parenting behavior among mothers of young children with ASD. Furthermore, we compared parenting behavior among mothers of young children with and without ASD between two and six years old. Factor analyses resulted in a factor solution with seven subscales of parenting behavior. Two additional subscales especially relevant for parenting preschoolers with ASD were also considered. Analyses of covariance, controlling for gender and age, showed significantly higher scores for Discipline and Stimulating the Development in the control group in comparison with the ASD group. These findings suggest that mothers of preschoolers with ASD are still trying to find strategies to guide and stimulate their child's behavior and development effectively.

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