Morgan Casie H, Mercier Alecia, Stein Brianna, Guest Kristi Carter, O'Kelley Sarah E, Schwebel David C
Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, Birmingham, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Jan 27. doi: 10.1007/s10803-025-06729-8.
Prior research demonstrates that children with autism are more likely to experience unintentional injuries than the general population. Limited research exists on the symptoms or traits directly related to autism and this elevated injury rate, especially from the perspective of families with children with autism. This study used qualitative methodology to elucidate risk factors that may contribute to unintentional injuries in children with autism from the perspective of mothers raising children with autism.
Participants included 15 mothers reporting on their children with autism. The mothers engaged in a semi-structured qualitative interview consisting of questions related to child characteristics, injury concerns and experiences, injury prevention strategies and resources, and safety behaviors. Interviews were transcribed and coded in NVivo following a systematic, deductive approach.
Injury risk and concern among mothers was generally related to both the diagnostic and associated features of ASD as well as commonly co-occurring behaviors or disorders. Mothers reported that deficits in social communication and social interaction, plus restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, contributed to increased unintentional injury risk. Additionally, mothers reported that general developmental differences and behavior during play or exploration increased risk of injury.
By considering the lived experiences of families of children with autism, this study reveals that specific diagnostic features, associated features, and other behaviors often co-occurring with autism underlie parental perceptions of increased risk of and concern for unintentional injury in children with autism. These findings guide where intervention is needed and inform development of evidence-based, practical safety interventions.
先前的研究表明，自闭症儿童比普通人群更容易遭受意外伤害。关于与自闭症直接相关的症状或特征以及这种较高伤害率的研究有限，特别是从自闭症儿童家庭的角度来看。本研究采用定性方法，从抚养自闭症儿童的母亲的角度阐明可能导致自闭症儿童意外伤害的风险因素。
参与者包括15位报告其自闭症子女情况的母亲。母亲们参与了一次半结构化的定性访谈，访谈问题涉及儿童特征、伤害担忧与经历、伤害预防策略与资源以及安全行为。访谈内容经转录后，按照系统的演绎方法在NVivo中进行编码。
母亲们的伤害风险和担忧通常与自闭症谱系障碍的诊断特征及相关特征以及常见的共发行为或障碍有关。母亲们报告说，社交沟通和社交互动方面的缺陷，以及行为受限或重复模式，导致意外伤害风险增加。此外，母亲们报告说，游戏或探索过程中的一般发育差异和行为会增加受伤风险。
通过考虑自闭症儿童家庭的实际经历，本研究揭示出，特定的诊断特征、相关特征以及其他常与自闭症共发的行为是家长认为自闭症儿童意外伤害风险增加并感到担忧的基础。这些发现为需要干预的领域提供了指导，并为循证、实用的安全干预措施的制定提供了参考。
