2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-74
Title: The Effects of Maternal Coping on Academic Involvement in the Early Transition Years for Children with ASD
Authors: Elizabeth Llanes, Yasamine Bolourian, Geovanna Rodriguez, Jan Blacher
Introduction: Mothers of children with ASD are more likely to report poor or fair mental health than mothers in the general
population (Montes & Halterman, 2007). However, it has been suggested that positive coping styles may protect against negative
maternal outcomes caused by the stress of caring for a child with ASD (Benson, 2010). Furthermore, research in classroom
settings has shown that problem behaviors such as aggression, noncompliance, and disruption are common for many school-age
children with ASD (McClintock, Hall, & Oliver, 2003). These problem behaviors often make it difficult for children with ASD to
fully engage with and participate at school, thus causing stress for their parents. This paper will examine early school transition
for young children with ASD with a focus on their involvement and competence at school. It will also explore the relationship of
maternal coping style to child school involvement (as defined by student-teacher relationship quality, competence with peer
interactions, and academic engagement), during this early school transition period. Child characteristics as well as teacher
characteristics will also be considered.
Methods: Participants were recruited from a larger study of the early transition to school for children with ASD (N = 81) ages 4
to 7 years old. Mothers of the participants filled out the COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989), which measures
problem- and emotion-focused coping with the transition to school. There are three coping subscales in addition to a total score:
emotional and social support; denial; behavioral disengagement. Student involvement in the schools was measured using
teacher reports of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, total score (STRS; Pianta, 2001), the Academic Engagement Scale
(AES) total score, and the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation total score (SCBE; LaFreniere, Dumas, Capuano, & Dubeau,
1992). Child autism characteristics were assessed with the Social Responsiveness Scale, total and subscales (Constantino &
Gruber, 2005), and teacher characteristics obtained included years of teaching and ASD specific training.
Results: Correlational analyses were used to assess the relationship between maternal coping style and school involvement.
Mothers' use of the emotional and social support coping style was positively associated with good student-teacher relationship
quality (r = .243, p = .036). Denial as a maternal coping style was negatively related to the child's behavioral engagement in
school (r = -.257, p = .021). Maternal behavioral disengagement coping style was positively associated with student social
competence (r = .329, p = .003). Regression analyses will be conducted in order to determine whether maternal coping styles,
child autism characteristics, or teacher characteristics predict children's overall school involvement.
Discussion: Preliminary analyses suggest that maternal coping strategies relate to child behavior at school as assessed by
teacher. While these data are correlational, it may be possible to ascertain the direction of effects over time. Implications for
how these findings might inform parent education and practices will be considered.
References/Citations:
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Benson, P. R. (2010). Coping, distress, and well-being in mothers of children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum
Disorders, 4(2), 217-228. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2009.09.008
McClintock, K., Hall, S., & Oliver, C. (2003). Risk markers associated with challenging behaviours in people with
developmental disabilities: A meta-analytic study. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 47, 405-416. doi:
10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00517.x
Montes, G., & Halterman, J. S. (2007). Psychological functioning and coping among mothers of children with autism: a
population-based study. Pediatrics, 119(5), e1040-e1046. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2819