Abstract
Parents of children with autism often report feeling judged and are increasingly using disclosure cards to reduce negative perceptions. However, no empirical research has been conducted on the effectiveness of these cards. The present study used vignettes of a parent–child interaction in which the child was misbehaving and investigated the efficacy on 160 parents’ perceptions. A unique survey was developed with two factors (Maternal Skill Deficit and Negative Reaction) and a single item (Sympathy for Mother). Those who received the disclosure card reported significantly lower Maternal Skill Deficit and Negative Reaction to the Dyad and no difference in Sympathy for the Mother. These results provide preliminary validation for the use of autism disclosure cards in buffering negative judgment.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by a grant from the McNair Program for the second author.
Author Contributions
JA conceived of the study, participated in its design, interpreted the data, and drafted and critically revised the manuscript. VZ participated in the drafting of the manuscript. WHD participated in the design and acquisition of the data, analyzed and interpreted the data, and critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
Of particular note, this project was not funded by anyone associated with disclosure cards development, manufacture, distribution or sales, and that no one from this industry was involved in the design, implementation, data analysis, or recommendations of this paper.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Austin, J.E., Zinke, V.L. & Davies, W. Influencing Perception About Children with Autism and their Parents Using Disclosure Cards. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 2764–2769 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2821-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2821-6