The Role of Parental Involvement in the Social Development of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social interaction. Research with ASD children has dramatically underrepresented fathers, who have only recently been considered as targets for parenting interventions and research. Parenting research with typically developing (TD) children has found that parental involvement (of mothers and fathers) is associated with child social development. Extending such findings to the ASD field is important as social development is a primary concern within this population. The present study sought to do so through an internet questionnaire targeting mothers and fathers. Specifically, this study examined associations between mother involvement, father involvement and their interaction with child social skills in families of children with ASD using multilevel modeling in a multi-rater, multi-measure design. We proposed a model in which parental involvement may foster child social development, but also noted child that social skills may encourage or discourage parental involvement. Father, but not mother, involvement (quality) and engagement (time) were each found to significantly and positively predict child social skills in 101 families of children with ASD. Implications of these findings for research and intervention are discussed.