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Research Concerning Families of Children with Autism

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The Effects of Autism on the Family

Part of the book series: Current Issues in Autism ((CIAM))

Abstract

This chapter presents a selective review of the research on families of autistic individuals from infancy through adolescence.* To understand the significance of research dealing with the families of autistic children, one must understand certain basic facts about the role and structure of the family. It is known that the family serves a number of child development functions (including providing the child with emotional bonds, a secure base, life experinces, a network of communication, models of behavior and attitudes, and shaping of behavior through discipline and structure). It is also known that the success with which a family meets these functions is dependent upon a number of factors (including marital harmony, parental stability, patterns of childrearing, and family communication patterns). It is important to realize, however, that because of the complex structure of the family, it is unlikely that there can be any simple relationship between any one particular family factor and the subsequent behavior and development of a child. This is because the family is essentially a variety or network of relationships, which themselves are not unidirectional, which are changing over time, which are themselves influenced by outside factors, and which are, to some extent, self-regulating (Hinde, 1981).

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Reference Notes

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  1. UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    Dennis P. Cantwell & Lorian Baker

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  1. Division TEACCH, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 310 Medical School Wing E, 222H, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, USA

    Eric Schopler  & Gary B. Mesibov  & 

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Cantwell, D.P., Baker, L. (1984). Research Concerning Families of Children with Autism. In: Schopler, E., Mesibov, G.B. (eds) The Effects of Autism on the Family. Current Issues in Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2293-9_3

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