Participation in extracurricular activities for children with and without siblings with autism spectrum disorder

Participation and Experiences in Extracurricular Activities for Autistic and Neurotypical Children

Participation in Organised Extracurricular Social Activities (OESA) can provide positive outcomes for children. This study investigated whether children aged 4 to 12 years diagnosed with autism differ in their OESA participation and experience compared to neurotypical peers. Parents of autistic children (n = 35) and those of neurotypical peers (n = 171) responded to questions that asked them to reflect on their child's participation and experiences in OESAs. Parents of autistic children reported significantly less OESA participation compared to parents of neurotypical children. Additionally, when evaluating factors that facilitated OESA participation, parents of autistic children rated their child's individual abilities and behaviour, the OESA's features, and the social environment less positively, compared to parents of neurotypical children. OESA participation and experiences differ for autistic and neurotypical children. This study identifies factors that can be adjusted to mitigate this difference.

Feelings of Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction in Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Role of Birth Order and Perceived Social Support

Loneliness has been associated with several adverse psychosocial outcomes in childhood and adolescence. The present study aimed to investigate feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in school-aged typically-developing (TD) siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For this purpose, 118 siblings of children with ASD and 115 siblings of TD children and one of their parents participated in this study. Siblings of ASD-children reported higher levels of loneliness and social dissatisfaction than the controls. The hierarchical multiple regressions performed revealed that those feelings were inversely associated with being the first-born and with specific aspects of social support as perceived by the parent. The younger siblings of ASD-children seem to be in need of certain interventions beyond social support.

Parents' perceptions and concerns about physical activity participation among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

The parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have a vital and proactive role in encouraging healthy physical activity habits, and they possess important knowledge about the adolescents’ needs when it comes to enhancing participation in physical activity. But promoting healthy physical activity habits in adolescents can be difficult. The purpose of this study was thus to describe parents’ perceptions of their adolescent child’s participation in physical activity and to describe the parental role in promoting such participation. Twenty-eight parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years with autism spectrum disorder were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. The parents described how challenging participation in physical activities could be for their adolescents. Despite this, they wanted to see their children participate more in physical activity but found the promotion of physical activity to be an overwhelming task that was difficult to cope with on their own. The results reveal a need for support and collaborative efforts among different actors to give these issues increased priority in order to promote the adolescents’ physical activity participation.

A Model of Family and Child Functioning in Siblings of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The potential clinical needs of typically developing (TD) siblings of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain disputed. A total of 239 mothers of youth aged 6-17, including one youth with ASD (M = 11.14 years; simplex families) and at least one other youth (M = 11.74 years) completed online standardized measures of various familial factors and TD youth outcomes. Overall, only 6-23% of siblings were identified within the clinical range of emotional, behavioral, or social functioning. Both maternal depression and sibling relationship were identified as key pathways in predicting siblings' functioning within a good-fitting path analysis model. The current model is presented as a novel base for the development of future research and services for this unique population of children.

Supporting and hindering environments for participation of adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review

The influence of a person's environment and its modifying potential on participation is well recognized for most childhood disabilities, but scarcely studied for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A scoping review was conducted, the aim of which was to map the existing literature about supporting and hindering environments for the participation of adolescents with ASD. Sources of scientific evidence were searched for in four databases. Inclusion criteria were the perspectives of adolescents between 12 and 21, families, peers, or significant others; ecologic validity; and a clear connection between environment and participation. The publication dates ranged from 2001 to 2014 and partly up to 2018. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) served as the guiding framework for inclusion/exclusion during the selection process. Thematic analysis was performed by five independent reviewers. Results were additionally validated by stakeholders. This scoping review identified 5528 articles, and finally included 31 studies. Two main themes were found: "providing security" indicates how the environment, and specifically the parental, physical, and informational environments, have a securing or intimidating effect. The second theme, "helping to connect", indicates which environments support or hinder social relationships or social activities, and hence participation. An additional third main theme, "tension in participation", relates to ambiguities that seem essential to understand participation or isolation of adolescents with ASD. Results show that participation is a value-laden concept. This research widens the field of dealing with adolescents with ASD, as it directs attention towards the responsibility of the environment regarding participation.