ERIC Number: EJ972655
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-5864
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Age on the Types and Severity of Excessive Fear or the Absence of Fear in Children and Young Adults with Autism
Richman, David M.; Dotson, Wesley H.; Rose, Chad A.; Thompson, Samuel; Abby, Layla
Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, v5 n3-4 p215-235 2012
This study identified (a) patterns of fearful stimuli for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (b) the severity of the fear, and (c) whether excessive fear or the absence of fear negatively affected the participant's quality of life. A web-based survey was used to distribute a modified and extended version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (Ollendick, 1983) to 328 families with children with ASD. Sixty respondents completed the survey, representing a cross section of individuals with ASD from 3 to 22 years old. Responses were analyzed using both descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses for the total sample and the 3 age groups: 3-7, 8-13, and 14-22 years old. The overall severity of fears decreased and the types of stimuli feared changed from concrete (getting a shot, going to the dentist) to more socially based (being evaluated, being teased) with increasing age. Thus, although the severity of fears may decrease throughout childhood and into early adulthood, the fears that are present may actually have a greater negative effect on daily life functioning and thus warrant prevention attempts to reduce the probability that fears will become more debilitating and restrict their vocational and recreational activities. Results are discussed in terms of early intervention and potential prevention of excessive fears in ASD. (Contains 6 tables.)
Descriptors: Autism, Fear, Stimuli, Severity (of Disability), Children, Young Adults, Quality of Life, Statistical Analysis, Surveys, Recreational Activities, Early Intervention, Prevention, Probability, Caregiver Attitudes, Parent Attitudes, Likert Scales, Child Safety, Risk, Age Differences, Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Fear Survey Schedule
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A