Building Upon Each Other: An Exploratory Study of Coregulation in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Coregulation does not seem to come naturally to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), putting them at risk of persistent emotional and behavioral dysregulation. However, little is known about factors related to the ability of parents to provide coregulatory support and the responsiveness of children with ASD to their attempts. The current study used the state space grid (SSG) methodology to provide insight into the patterns of coregulation between twelve children with ASD (3-6 years) and their parent who spent most time with them (11 mothers, 1 father). In search of characteristics of children and parents that may hinder coregulation, the association with the severity of ASD symptoms and behavioral problems in children, as well as the self-regulation abilities, parenting stress and psychopathology in parents was examined. A free play task was used to elicit interactions between parents and children that were later coded for emotional engagement of both to measure...Show moreCoregulation does not seem to come naturally to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), putting them at risk of persistent emotional and behavioral dysregulation. However, little is known about factors related to the ability of parents to provide coregulatory support and the responsiveness of children with ASD to their attempts. The current study used the state space grid (SSG) methodology to provide insight into the patterns of coregulation between twelve children with ASD (3-6 years) and their parent who spent most time with them (11 mothers, 1 father). In search of characteristics of children and parents that may hinder coregulation, the association with the severity of ASD symptoms and behavioral problems in children, as well as the self-regulation abilities, parenting stress and psychopathology in parents was examined. A free play task was used to elicit interactions between parents and children that were later coded for emotional engagement of both to measure coregulation. Child and parent characteristics were assessed by administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS-2) to children and completion of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (BRIEF-A), Parenting Stress Questionnaire (OBVL) and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) by their parents. Children with ASD generally had emotionally flexible interactions with their parents, indicating that they frequently changed between emotional engagement states when playing together. Their play interactions were mainly positive in nature and all parent-child dyads were able to repair the interaction following negativity or disengagement. More perceived externalizing behavior problems in children was related to less time to reengage in positive interactions with their parents and longer maintained mutual positivity. No association was found for the other characteristics of children and parents. These findings point to the added value of focusing in detail on parent-child interactions for future research and clinical practice.Show less

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Building Upon Each Other: An Exploratory Study of Coregulation in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder