The social and emotional wellbeing of females with autism spectrum disorder from the perspective of parents
Creators: name: Jarman, Belinda
Publisher: name: University of Tasmania
Year: 2024

description: Though females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have often been overlooked and underrepresented in the literature, there has more recently been an increasing interest (Mandy &amp; Lai, 2017). Mademtzi, et al. (2018) noted in their study that the majority of studies that have explored the experiences and needs of individuals with ASD mainly focussed on males. Furthermore, Baldwin and Costley (2016) emphasised that the characteristics of ASD are expressed differently in females in comparison to males. It is therefore important to explore the experiences of females with ASD.The aim of this research was to further understand the social and emotional wellbeing of females with ASD, from the perspective of parents. This was achieved through a two-phase study. Phase One was a qualitative study that used an anonymous online survey to explore the ways in which different situations at school impact the social and emotional wellbeing of females with ASD. A number of issues were raised by participant’s responses in this phase, with social issues, particularly difficulty developing and maintaining friendships, and fitting in at school being most frequently discussed. There were also a number of difficulties reported in response to the question regarding food and eating. These ranged from picky or fussy eating, to not eating, or not eating enough at school, to disordered eating, and in one case, an eating disorder. As a result of these responses, the focus of Phase Two was to explore the possible connection between eating and social issues for girls with ASD in the school environment.In Phase Two quantitative data was collected using the Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale of the Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT, Maloney, McGuire, &amp; Daniels, 1988) alongside other standardised questionnaires that measure the characteristics of autism as well as any comorbidities that appeared to influence the possible connection between the social and eating issues raised in Phase One, such as sensory and flexibility differences, anxiety and depression. These scales included the Autism Spectrum Quotient- Children’s Version (AQ-Child; Auyeung, Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, &amp; Allison, 2008); the Short Sensory Profile (SSP; McIntosh, Miller, Shyu, &amp; Dunn, 1999); the Behaviour Flexibility Rating Scale-Revised (BFRS-R; Green et al., 2007); and the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale-Parent Version (RCADS-P; Chorpita, Yim, Moffitt, Umemoto, &amp; Francis, 2000). Key findings were that the SSP Movement Sensitivity subscale, the AQ-Child Attention to Detail and Attention Switching subscales, the BFRS-R, the RCADS-P subscales of Social Phobia, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive, and the ChEAT Dieting subscale mediated the effect of ASD diagnosis on the ChEAT Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale. This suggests that some characteristics associated with ASD are related to behaviours encompassed in the ChEAT Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale.This research has contributed to a better understanding of the challenges females with ASD face at school. Additionally, it has highlighted that disordered eating attitudes and behaviours may be among the challenges they face. Directions for future research, such as exploring the relationship between movement sensitivity and behaviours associated with Bulimia and food preoccupation are proposed and recommendations to support females with ASD in the context of family and school, are provided.