Publication year
2016
Citation Title
Parent expectations mediate outcomes for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Journal Name
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Journal Volume
46
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
1643-1655
DOI
10.1007/s10803-015-2691-3
Summary
A small minority of youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are able to attain success in areas of independence and functioning as young adults. Associations between baseline family demographics, child functioning, and parent expectations, and five-year follow-up measures of child employment, independent living, and social participation were examined. Findings suggest parents' expectations for their child's outcomes have an important impact on later success for youth with ASD.
Key Findings
Youth diagnosed with ASD with more advantageous family demographic factors (i.e., race, income, mother’s education) and who had higher functioning at baseline (i.e., academic achievement, self-care ability, social skills), had better outcomes at a five-year follow-up.
Parent expectations for their children fully accounted for the relationships between family background and functioning at baseline and young adult outcomes.
This results of this study suggest that family background and child functioning predicts parent expectations for their children diagnosed with ASD, which in turn predicts child outcomes.
Implications for Military Professionals
Facilitate groups that provide military youth diagnosed with ASD with an adult mentor in order to encourage high expectations and continuous skill-building
Collaborate with programs connected with military parents to emphasize the importance of positive expectations and support for building skills and functional abilities for youth with ASD
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate military parents with children with ASD on realistic expectations about independence, employment, and social functioning, as well as ways to support achievement in those areas
Offer classes for military youth with ASD and their parents to provide both emotional support and skill-building training
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend education about ASD and outcomes for all providers working with military families
Encourage collaboration between the Department of Defense and community programs for youth with ASD to promote these programs and make them easily accessible to military families
Methods
Data was drawn from a national longitudinal study, which surveyed parents and school records of five randomly-selected cohorts of youth in special education.
Data about youth diagnosed with ASD were collected at baseline, when they were 13 to 16 years of age, and at a five-year follow-up.
The relationships between family demographic factors, child functioning factors, parent expectations, and young adult outcomes were examined.
Participants
Participants included 1,170 youth who were diagnosed with ASD, had an average baseline age of 14.7 years (SD = 1.2), and were primarily male (83%); parents surveyed were 90% mothers.
Data for all participants with completed surveys were included in analyses; however, only 770 youth had surveys completed at the five-year follow-up (i.e., 34% attrition rate).
Participants included primarily White (56%), Black (24%), and Latino (9%) youth.
Limitations
The study had high participant attrition, and participants who completed the five-year follow-up had significantly higher family income and maternal education and included fewer minorities.
Some youth in the sample were still in school and eligible for special education at the time of the five-year follow-up rather than transitioning to employment and independent living.
Child ASD diagnosis was measured via parent or school report rather than research assessment, which may have resulted in inconsistency in the criteria used to diagnose and report ASD.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine whether outcomes of youth diagnosed with ASD can be changed through education and intervention focused on parent expectations for those youth
Explore associations between the personal expectations of youth diagnosed with ASD and their relationship with parent expectations, demographic and functioning factors, and outcomes
Identify additional factors, such as professional opinions or parent belief systems, that may contribute to parent expectations of outcomes for youth diagnosed with ASD.
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Understanding the complex relationships among factors that may predict the outcomes of young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is of utmost importance given the increasing population undergoing and anticipating the transition to adulthood. With a sample of youth with ASD (n = 1170) from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, structural equation modeling techniques were used to test parent expectations as a mediator of young adult outcomes (i.e., employment, residential independence, social participation) in a longitudinal analysis. The mediation hypothesis was confirmed; family background and functional performance variables significantly predicted parent expectations which significantly predicted outcomes. These findings add context to previous studies examining the role of parent expectations on young adult outcomes and inform directions for family-centered interventions and future research.
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