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An Exploration of Parental Attributions Within the Autism Spectrum Disorders Population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Koa Whittingham ,
Kate Sofronoff ,
Jeanie Sheffield  and
Matthew R. Sanders
Koa Whittingham
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, Australia.
Kate Sofronoff*
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, Australia. kate@psy.uq.edu.au
Jeanie Sheffield
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, Australia.
Matthew R. Sanders
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, Australia.
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr Kate Sofronoff, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072 QLD, Australia.
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Abstract

The experiences of clinicians working with the ASD population suggest that parents of children with autism frequently misattribute their child's behaviour, particularly misbehaviour, to autism and that this can be a barrier in behavioural interventions (Howlin and Rutter, 1987). However, no research on the specific attributions that parents of children with ASD make for their child's behaviour could be found. The current study is an exploration of parental attributions within the ASD population. Fifty-nine families participated in this study. Analysis identified a tendency for parents to generalise attributions about ASD-related behaviour to misbehaviour. In addition, analysis identified a tendency to believe that the child's positive behaviour is more stable and controllable by the child than misbehaviour. A relationship was found between parental autistic traits and a tendency for the parent to attribute responsibility to themselves for ASD-related behaviour and misbehaviour.

Keywords

parental attributionsautism spectrum disordersAsperger syndromeparenting
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , 01 December 2008 , pp. 201 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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