Autism spectrum disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Part I: a comparison of parenting stress.

BACKGROUND: There is a long history of research on parents of children with disabilities, but to the authors' knowledge, no study has compared the stress of parents of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD: Twenty-five parents of children with ASD and 25 parents of children with FASD completed the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress - Friedrich's Version (QRS-F). RESULTS: Although both parent groups reported elevated stress, PSI-SF results indicated that parents of children with FASD were experiencing significantly more stress compared to parents of children with ASD. No significant differences were found between groups on the total QRS-F, but parents of children with FASD had higher scores on the Pessimism subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The authors call for measures grounded in theory as well as mixed methods research that includes the subjective experience of parents' stress.

Autism spectrum disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Part II: a qualitative comparison of parenting stress.

BACKGROUND: Researchers investigating the impact of parenting children with disabilities suggest that regardless of the specific diagnosis, parents experience increased levels of stress. However, particular disabilities may be associated with distinct stressors and strains. METHOD: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and parents of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) participated in in-depth qualitative interviews employing a basic interpretative approach. RESULTS: Both groups described some similar stressors, such as multi-tasking, the diagnostic process, and dealing with behavioural issues, but there are distinct differences between families of children with FASD and families of children with ASD. Whereas parents of children with FASD focused on their children's illegal behaviours, parents of children with ASD struggled with their children's tantrums and anxieties. CONCLUSIONS: Supports must be tailored to meet the specific needs of parents of children with different types of disabilities.

The impact of parenting stress: a meta-analysis of studies comparing the experience of parenting stress in parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorder.

Researchers commonly report that families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more parenting stress than families of typically developing (TD) children or those diagnosed with other disabilities [e.g., Down syndrome (DS), cerebral palsy, intellectual disability]. The authors reexamined the research using comparison groups to investigate parenting stress and conducted a meta-analysis to pool results across studies. The experience of stress in families of children with ASD versus families of TD children resulted in a large effect size. Comparisons between families of children of ASD and families with other disabilities also generated a large effect size however, this result should be interpreted with caution as it may be associated with the specific experience of parenting a child with DS.