(PS11-D89) The Relation Between Child Factors and Advocacy Behavior in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and reciprocity, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests. Behavioral and educational interventions can improve outcomes in cognition, development of language, and peer interactions. Despite that, families with children with ASD experience difficulties accessing services and oftentimes, parents need to advocate for services. This study adds to the literature by looking at different child factors that may be associated with the time parents spend fighting for services. It was hypothesized that parents with children with additional disability and more difficulty with academic skills, independent living skills, social communication, stereotypic and repetitive behaviors, and aggressive behaviors would spend more time fighting for services. The current study included participants in the Maryland Autism Waiver program (n = 653). Both children on the Registry (i.e., families wishing to receive specialized services through the Maryland ASD Waiver program, if they are deemed eligible and when a spot becomes available; n = 402; 61.56%) and those receiving Waiver services (n = 402; 38.44%) were included. Children were predominantly male (82.14%) with a mean age of 14.98 (SD = 3.00), while the respondents were predominantly female (82.02%) with a mean age of 47.32 (SD = 8.30). Services and Supports: Impact on Families Survey, a comprehensive survey completed by parents of children with ASD, was used to assess the amount of time parents spent fighting for services and child factors. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well child factors predicted time parents spent fighting for services. The predictors included presence of an additional disability (i.e., child’s comorbidity), difficulty with academic skills, independent living skills, social communication, stereotypic and repetitive behaviors, and aggressive behaviors. The criterion variable was the amount of time per week the parent spent fighting for services. The linear combination of child factors was significantly related to time parents spent fighting for services, F(6, 594) = 6.55, p  < .01, R² = .06. While child’s additional disability (B = .48, p  < .01) and difficulty with stereotypic and repetitive behaviors (B = .12, p</em>  < .05) contributed significantly to the model, difficulties with: academic skills (B = -.08, p</em>  = .13), independent living skills (B = .06, p</em>  = 35), social communication (B = .02, p</em>  = .74), and aggressive behaviors (B = .06, p</em>  = .10), did not. The present study suggests that a child’s additional disability and difficulties in different life domains are predictors of the amount of time parents spent fighting for services for their child with ASD. Specifically, parents whose children have additional disability and difficulty with stereotypic and repetitive behaviors are more likely to spend more time fighting for services for their children than parents whose children have difficulties in the other domains. Future research should continue to investigate factors associated with time parents spend fighting for services and the effects that may have on parents’ and their child’s wellbeing.