Beliefs about sleep in parents who have and have not managed a sleep problem in their child with autism : effects on help-seeking behaviour and treatment choice.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the beliefs of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who had varying experiences with sleep problems and the factors affecting parental help-seeking behaviour and treatment selection. The study included 61 primary caregivers of children with ASD from around New Zealand (NZ). A descriptive analysis revealed that help-seeking and treatment selection was similar between groups and parental beliefs were correlated to treatment choice. Further, parental attributions about the stability of sleep problems in children with ASD tended to vary between our parent groups but attributions that were internal to the child and outside of the child’s control showed no significant differences. Lastly, evidence was unable to support the belief that parenting a child with a sleep problem was a moderator for parent’s attributions about sleep problems in children.