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. 2020 Feb;50(2):386-401.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04219-2.

Parenting Strategies Used by Parents of Children with ASD: Differential Links with Child Problem Behaviour

Elizabeth O'Nions  1   2   3 , Eva Ceulemans  4 , Francesca Happé  5 , Paul Benson  6 , Kris Evers  7   8   9 , Ilse Noens  7   8
Affiliations

Parenting Strategies Used by Parents of Children with ASD: Differential Links with Child Problem Behaviour

Elizabeth O'Nions et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Here, we explored the structure of the 'Parenting Strategies Questionnaire', a new scale designed to measure parenting strategies for problem behaviour in ASD. We then examined links between child behaviour and parenting in a sample of 222 predominantly-UK parents of ASD children exhibiting behaviour found difficult or challenging. Analysis revealed three parenting subscales: Accommodation, Reinforcement Approaches and Reducing Uncertainty. Both Accommodation and Reducing Uncertainty were linked to child problem behaviour. Child factors explained up to 29% of the variance in Accommodation, with Socially Inflexible Non-compliance the strongest predictor, and up to 24% of the variance in Reducing Uncertainty, with Intolerance of Uncertainty the strongest predictor. Child factors were not related to Reinforcement Approaches. Longitudinal studies investigating these relationships are needed.

Keywords: ASD; Accommodation; Extreme demand avoidance; Intolerance of Uncertainty; Parenting; Problem behaviour; Reactivity.

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