Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Impact of Stress and Instability on the Resilience and Well-Being of Children with Autism

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project will analyze how the type and timing of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect the well-being and resilience of children with autism. This project will advance understanding of how the type and timing of adverse childhood events affects children with autism and similar vulnerable populations within the fields of sociology, disability studies, and public health, expand current theory to include disability, and inform potential interventions to reduce adverse events in families of children with autism and other vulnerable populations. The broader impacts of this study include contributions to individuals with autism and their families by promoting an increased presence of the experiences of people with autism into current theory and creating knowledge about how children with autism cope with adverse events. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability estimated to affect 1 in 68 U.S. children. Compared to their peers, this population experiences a variety of health disparities, including decreased well-being, increased family stress, and significantly more adverse childhood experiences (e.g., psychological, physical, or sexual abuse, and/or household dysfunction). Remaining unknowns include: (1) how these disparities may be connected (e.g., does family stress lead to more adverse childhood experiences, which in turn leads to decreased well-being?); (2) how autism itself, as well as the timing of the diagnostic process for autism, may enhance these disparities; (3) how the combination of these disparities may affect life course trajectories of individuals with autism; and (4) how children with autism cope with family stress or adverse experiences. This project will fill in these gaps in the literature by answering three primary questions. Firstly, How is age of diagnosis associated with ACEs (e.g., do these events primarily occur prior to, during, or post diagnosis)? Secondly, For children with autism, how are ACEs related to health, internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and academic performance? Thirdly, Does an expanded construction of resilience (including both internal and external characteristics) mediate the relationship between ACEs and well-being for children with autism? This study requires the collection of original data through a survey instrument, which will be disseminated online to parents of children with autism in five states (Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, and Utah). Disability organizations in each of these states have agreed to distribute the online survey link to potential participants through their electronic listservs. A minimum of 300 parent responses will be collected to provide a large enough sample size for the necessary quantitative analyses.