Preschoolers With ASD With and Without Elevated Attention Problems: Observed Parenting Differences

Few studies have examined the relationship between attention problems (AP) and observed parenting in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 41 mother-child dyads with ASD recruited from an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) preschool and whose behaviors were observed during parent-child interactions. Children with ASD and elevated AP (n = 19) on the Child Behavior Checklist had significantly lower verbal ability, and mothers reported significantly more stress than children with ASD only (n = 22). Causal modeling was used to examine the directionality of the expected relationship between AP and parenting behavior as partially or wholly mediated by parenting stress. Mothers who exhibited less positive parenting experienced higher parenting stress and their children demonstrated increased AP and decreased engagement during dyadic interactions. The strength of this relationship varied according to child verbal ability. These findings have practical implications for identifying and implementing appropriate intervention.