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Assessing Need for Social Support in Parents of Children with Autism and Down Syndrome

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Abstract

Parents of children with autism frequently turn to the service delivery system to access supports designed to help adapt to the challenges of having a child with a life-long impairment. Although studies have suggested various supports and coping strategies that are effective for adapting, few studies have examined parents’ own perceptions of needs, and whether parents felt their needs were being met. In the present study the Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ; Waaland et al., 1993) was modified to address needs for children with developmental disorders. A sample of fifty-six parents of children with autism and a comparison group of thirty-two parents of children with Down syndrome completed the FNQ. The groups did not differ significantly on the number of important needs reported nor the number of important needs being met. However, the two groups differed in the types of supports they most frequently endorsed as Important or Unmet.

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Acknowledgments

This manuscript is based on part of Susan Siklos’ thesis. The study was supported by a Health Professional Student Research Award awarded to Susan Siklos by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. We also wish to acknowledge the Autism Society of British Columbia and the Down Syndrome Research Foundation for their support of this project. Finally, we extend our gratitude to the many parents who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, V8W 3P5, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Susan Siklos & Kimberly A. Kerns

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  1. Susan Siklos
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  2. Kimberly A. Kerns
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Correspondence to Kimberly A. Kerns.

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Siklos, S., Kerns, K.A. Assessing Need for Social Support in Parents of Children with Autism and Down Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 36, 921–933 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0129-7

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