AUTISM THERAPY
In light of this research, Karen and Emily decided
to focus their masters of occupational therapy cap-
stone project on stress experienced by parents of
children with autism and how occupational therapy
can address this issue. Their main concerns for par-
ents of children with autism are their well-being and
quality of life, as stress can exacerbate problematic
psychological health issues, such as higher rates of
depression and/or anxiety (Bitsika et al., 2013; Con-
ner & White, 2014; Lee et al., 2012). In order to take
a deeper look into the stress that parents of children
with autism face on a day-to-day basis, as well as
to assess whether the proper resources or services
are being offered to assist them in coping with the
stress, the two occupational therapy students creat-
ed an online survey that allowed them to gain insight
into the lives of parents of children with autism. The
survey integrated questions from the Autism Parent-
ing Stress Index (APSI) to gauge parents’ subjective
stress levels, depending on various aspects that may
come with autism. Open-ended questions allowed
parents to be honest about how the stress of having
children with autism affected their personal social
lives and how they currently cope (if they do) with
stress. Additionally, they were asked which services
(such as occupational therapy) or parental supports
were provided to help them cope.
The below figure depicts the averages of partici-
pants’ responses to the APSI questions:
As described by the “What Causes Your Stress?” chart,
parents reported their top five stressors are thoughts
of their children’s futures of living independently,
thoughts of their children’s futures of being accept-
ed by others, their children’s social development,
their children’s abilities to communicate, and their
children’s tantrums/meltdowns.
Below are some of the authentic responses received
from parents who participated in the study:
Q. How has the autism diagnosis of your
child impacted your own social life with
your spouse, family, and/or friends?
“We don’t go to other people’s homes because we
would never get to sit down; he wants to touch
EVERYTHING!”
“My spouse and I rarely go on dates, trips, etc. be-
cause we feel guilty asking for help and feel we
should rush back home, so we don’t really relax
and enjoy ourselves.”
“I honestly do not have a social life at all. My time
is dedicated to my daughter’s school and thera-
pies.”
“As for friends, some of them do not understand
how autism works and the impact it can have on
our household. Some of our family members just
choose to stay away because they are afraid of
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 74 |
41