Abstract
Resolution with the diagnosis of one’s child involves coming to terms with and accepting the diagnosis and its implications. Parental resolution with the diagnosis was examined among 61 mothers and 60 fathers of 61 children with autism spectrum disorders aged 2–17 years. We investigated resolution rates and subtypes, and associations between resolution status and child characteristics (CA, gender, MA, adaptive behavior, diagnosis type, time elapsed since diagnosis) and parent characteristics (age, gender, IQ, broad autism phenotype index, special needs’ impact on family). Nearly half of the parents were classified as resolved. Maternal but not paternal resolution status was associated with reported negative impact of raising a child with a disability on family life, but not with other characteristics of the child or the parent.
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Acknowledgments
This study was partially supported by the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF) grant number 18.0-540/03 awarded to Nurit Yirmiya. We are grateful to the participating families for their cooperation.
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Milshtein, S., Yirmiya, N., Oppenheim, D. et al. Resolution of the Diagnosis Among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with Child and Parent Characteristics. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 89–99 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0837-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0837-x