Parents who welcome a child from birth take on an adaptation challenge that’s even greater when their child is on the autism spectrum and struggles with communication and social interaction. What are the best ways to support them? Eve-Line Bussières, professor in the Department of Psychology at UQTR and director of AURA laboratory [https://auralab.ca/labo-aura/], led a study to better understand the particularities of the interactions between mothers and their autistic child.
Professor Bussières and her team recruited pairs of autistic and non-autistic children and their mothers (N=120) who attended meetings every two years, when the children were between the ages of 2 and 9 years old. The data collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation sessions helped assess the quality of the mother–child interactions and the level of parental stress. The results showed that the mothers of a non-autistic child said they felt closer to their child than the mothers of a child on the spectrum. In addition, the quality of the mother–child relationship, as perceived by the mother and as observed by the researchers, was lower among the mothers of an autistic child. While it’s important to further examine and replicate the findings, they highlight how crucial it is to consider a mother’s perspective and rely on sufficiently sensitive interaction grids to fully realize the nuances of the interactions involving an autistic child.
The project also shed light on the significant imbalance between the stressors and facilitators that affect the mothers of an autistic child. The stress factors, like medical appointments, school follow-ups, work–family balance and uncertainties about the future, are perceived as virtually impossible to reduce, and the resources and strategies, like respite, letting go, planning and support from a spouse, are perceived as difficult to access. The hope is that the conclusions will help service providers better target their offers to mothers of autistic children.
References
Périard-Larivée, D., Bégin, J.-Y., Godbout, É., St-Laurent, D., DePauw, S., DeSerres Lafontaine, A., et Bussières, E.-L. (2024). Pillar mothers: Perspective on the adaptation of mothers of autistic children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, no 33, p. 2383-2400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02863-6
Trottier-Dumont, W., Bussières, E.-L., et Cyr, C. (2024). La fin des squelettes dans le placard – L’attachement des enfants autistes. Ordre des psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices du Québec, La pratique en mouvement, no 28, p. 23-29. https://ordrepsed.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LaPratique_no28_automne_WEB.pdf