Children with Asperger syndrome have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They are intelligent and have better outcomes in life than those with autism (Cederlund, et al., 2008). However, they have unusual behaviors and interests, and their unique challenges may leave parents feeling either hopeful or disappointed for their child’s future (Mackintosh et al, 2005).
Objectives:
This study used qualitative analyses to examine parents’ answers to the open-ended question, “What are your child’s strengths and difficulties?” The objective was to examine parents’ own words regarding their child with Asperger syndrome and to identify themes that describe family’s experience of their child. By better understanding what parents face when raising a child with Asperger Syndrome, interventionists can develop support services to address the key areas of concern.
Methods:
Parents of 531 children in the autism spectrum responded to an internet-survey regarding the development of their children. From these, 103 parents of children with Asperger syndrome (76% boys; ages 3 to 22); 96% white), provided a written answer to this question. Two coders independently coded the responses and then worked together to refine the codes (Patton, 2010). This resulted in themes that described both positive and negative qualities of the children. Coders came to agreement on the themes and on placement of comments into the themes.
Results:
Parents were both complimentary and critical in describing their children. Themes included personality traits (both positive and negative), cognition (noting both high intelligence and difficulties in learning), talents (this theme was always positive), social deficits (mentioned by virtually every family), aggression, and challenging behavior. Parents most often saw multiple themes in their child. A typical answer was:
“He appears fairly normal, but with a few quirks. He is smart and loves science. He has real talent in art. He has difficulty with reading and writing (dyslexic,dysgraphic). He has difficulty with memorizing math facts. He has difficulty with coordination, playing sports, jumping rope ect. He has difficulty playing with other children, yet he wants to play with them. He does not respond when a classmate calls out his name as he is leaving school. He will not make any response when an adult at church speaks directly to him in the hall. Yet he will make good eye contact when speaking with me much of the time. . . . He will get excited and rambunctious and not behave appropriately for someone his age.”
Conclusions:
Parents did not hesitate to describe their children and to name both the positives and the negatives in their child’s behavior. They were empathic toward their children but not Pollyanna in their answers. Many of their views went beyond what is measured in school settings and spoke to the challenges children with Aspergers present to family functioning. Understanding parent’s perspectives on their child’s strengths and difficulties can lead to insight into developing parental supports as well as tailoring interventions to address the perceived difficulties of children with Asperger Syndrome while utilizing their strengths.
See more of: Core Deficits and Symptoms
See more of: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Phenotype