Stress in parents of children with autism participating in early and intensive behavioral intervention

Several studies have shown that parents of children with autism report higher levels of stress than parents of typically developing children or children with other disabilities. Early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) has been shown to effectively teach cognitive, adaptive, and social skills to many children with autism, and thus might reduce stress levels for parents whose children receive treatment. However, it also is possible that the intensive nature of this treatment could increase parental stress levels. The purpose of this study was to investigate stress levels of 43 parents prior to and one year into EIBI treatment. Children’s IQs and adaptive functioning also were assessed at intake and again one year into treatment. Results showed that both mothers and fathers reported high parental stress at intake, but that levels of stress for mothers decreased one year into treatment. Fathers’ stress levels did not decrease significantly over the course of the treatment. We found no correlations between intake parental stress and improvements in children’s intellectual or adaptive functioning.