DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND THEIR FAMILIES

该项目的修订目标是（1）调查自闭症儿童的早期发展过程，研究特定儿童，家庭和干预因素对自闭症核心症状（即，（2）调查自闭症儿童父母在幼儿期的心理健康状况，探讨儿童、家庭和干预因素对积极和消极幸福感的稳定性和变化的关系。这项工作是基于一个发展的背景框架，其中儿童水平的过程是最好的理解在一个复杂的背景下，包括父母和家庭的过程， 为儿童和家庭提供的干预措施。我们假设：（1）自闭症核心症状的严重程度直接受到共现问题行为、能力和干预服务强度的影响，间接受到儿童的易感气质和父母幸福感的影响。(2)父母的幸福感直接受到父母资源，家庭气候，更广泛的自闭症表型的严重程度以及儿童的症状和问题行为的影响。这些变量也介导了其他儿童因素的影响和父母对子女接受的干预服务的满意度。为了验证这些假设，我们计划通过早期干预专业服务项目招募300名 18-33个月大的自闭症儿童，并对其发展以及家庭和父母福祉发生的变化进行为期五年的加速交叉顺序纵向研究。我们相信，所获得的知识将为发展理论提供信息，并将导致更有效和更敏感的儿童和家长支持干预措施的发展。

The revised aims of this project are (1) To investigate the early course of development in children with autism, examining the influence of specific child, family, and intervention factors on stability and change in the core symptoms of autism (i.e., social impairment, communication, and repetitive behaviors/interests); and (2) To investigate the psychological well-being of mothers and fathers of children with autism during early childhood, examining relations between child, family, and intervention factors on stability and change in both positive and negative well-being. This work is based in a developmental contextual framework, in which child level processes are best understood within a complex context that includes parent and family processes and the interventions available to the child and family. We hypothesize that (1) The severity of core symptoms of autism are influenced directly by the presence of co-occurring problem behaviors, competencies and the intensity of intervention services, and indirectly by the child's predisposing temperament and parental well being. (2) Parental well-being is influenced directly by parental resources, family climate, severity of the broader autism phenotype, and the child's symptoms and problem behaviors. These variables also mediate the effects of other child factors and the parents' satisfaction with the intervention services received by their child. To test these hypotheses, we plan to recruit through early intervention specialty service programs 300 18-33 month-old children diagnosed with autism and to conduct a five-year, accelerated cross-sequential longitudinal study of their development and the changes that take place in the family and in the parents' well-being. We believe that the knowledge gained will inform developmental theory and will lead to the development of more effective and responsive child and parent support interventions.