Teresa Plummer, PhD, OTR/L, ATP, CEAS, CAPS, is Associate Professor, School of Occupational Therapy, Belmont University, Nashville, TN;
Missy Bryan, OTD, OTR/L, ATP, CPST, is Assistant Professor, School of Occupational Therapy, Belmont University, Nashville, TN.
Am J Occup Ther. 2021 Sep 1;75(5). doi: 10.5014/ajot.2021.041749.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of unintentional deaths of children ages 1 and older, particularly children with health care needs.
To explore family caregivers' experiences and current practices while transporting children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
A concurrent nested mixed-methods approach was used to gain insight into caregiver experiences.
Participants completed an online Qualtrics survey.
A convenience sample of 54 caregivers of children with ASD from 17 U.S. states.
Themes that emerged include sensory behaviors of children, education related to child passenger safety, and participation in the community. Statistically significant findings suggest a correlation between caregivers (n = 39) being less likely to participate in activities away from home if the child had attempted to elope (p = .013), displayed aggressive behaviors (p = .005), or demonstrated self-injurious behaviors (p = .001).
The findings suggest a correlation between caregivers limiting the distance traveled during vehicular transportation and behavioral safety concerns. If caregivers must limit travel, they may refrain from accessing the community and engaging in leisure pursuits. What This Article Adds: The findings suggest that therapists who treat children with ASD should be familiar with child passenger safety restraints, particularly for elopement.
机动车事故是 1 岁及以上儿童非故意伤害死亡的主要原因，特别是有医疗需求的儿童。
探索照顾者在运输被诊断为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童时的经历和当前做法。
采用同时嵌套的混合方法方法深入了解照顾者的经历。
参与者完成了在线 Qualtrics 调查。
来自美国 17 个州的 54 名 ASD 儿童的方便样本照顾者。
出现的主题包括儿童的感官行为、与儿童乘客安全相关的教育以及参与社区活动。有统计学意义的发现表明，如果孩子试图逃跑（p =.013）、表现出攻击性行为（p =.005）或表现出自伤行为（p =.001），照顾者（n = 39）不太可能参与离家的活动。
研究结果表明，照顾者在车辆运输过程中限制行驶距离与行为安全问题之间存在相关性。如果照顾者必须限制旅行，他们可能会避免进入社区并从事休闲活动。这篇文章增加了什么：研究结果表明，治疗 ASD 儿童的治疗师应该熟悉儿童乘客安全约束装置，特别是针对逃跑的情况。
