Dear EurekAlert:
Thank you for your article which suggested that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were nearly 2.5 times more likely than children without ASD to be reported for suspected abuse/neglect by the age of 8. These data support other troubling statistics regarding the risks facing children with ASD, including higher mortality rates and diminished access to employment following graduation from school. This is a call to action. Scant funds for home-based services, such as respite care, compounds the problem. Furthermore, when mothers and fathers are not supported to effectively parent their children with autism and manage challenging behavior, we should not be surprised that many parents may resort to ineffective or harmful practices.
The same holds true for educators and other providers who are responsible for developing and providing high quality interventions to manage challenging behaviors. Such intervention should include an assessment that seeks to understand the underlying function of the behavior, a comprehensive intervention plan that addresses that function by teaching and richly reinforcing functional replacement behaviors (such as communication), ongoing collection of data to assess benefit, and careful monitoring to ensure that the plan is carried out compassionately and effectively. Any plan to target behavior problems that lacks one of more of these components is likely to be unsuccessful.
It is important for your readers to know that there are also many evidence-based strategies that target specific challenges that face families of children with autism such as safety skills in the community, prevention of wandering, elopement, and bolting. There are strategies for managing problems surrounding sleep, toileting, eating, and restricted food repertoires, all of which can contribute to family stress and lead to children with ASD being more vulnerable to abuse. Additionally, there are resources for helping children access needed health care, including dental care. Awareness of these resources and strategies for addressing these challenges is essential.
In summary, these troubling statistics highlight the dire need for education and training of parents, caregivers, and providers of children with autism, as well as first responders. I thank you again for publicizing this important story.
Sincerely,
David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D
Executive Director
