The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological characteristics of mothers of children with disabilities. This study was performed under the hypotheses that, at the initial diagnosis of the children's disabilities, (1) the mothers suffered from serious psychological distress; (2) the more severe the child's disability was, the more serious the mother's psychological distress was; and that (3) the mother's psychological distress might be resolved within 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. The results were as follows: 1) mothers of children with disabilities showed significant (p<0.05) somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobic anxiety more so than the control group; 2) there was no significant difference in T scores of 9 dimensions of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R) of the mothers at the initial diagnosis of children's disabilities according to severity of child's disability; 3) there was no significant difference in T scores of 9 dimensions of SCL-90-R in mothers of children with disabilities between at initial evaluation and after 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. In conclusion, : 1) mothers of children with disabilities suffered from serious psychological distress at the initial diagnosis of their child's disability; 2) the severity of the child's disability had little influence on the degree of the mother's initial psychological distress; 3) this distress did not resolve with only 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. Therefore, effective rehabilitational programs should provide sufficient opportunities for repeated follow-up interviews which offer not only adequate information on the children's disabilities but also psychological support for the mothers.
Adult ; Affective Symptoms/etiology/psychology ; *Child ; Child, Preschool ; Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis/rehabilitation ; *Disabled Persons/rehabilitation ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Male ; Mothers/*psychology ; Time Factors

In patients with a language developmental delay, it is necessary to make a differential diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), specific language impairment, and mental retardation. It is important that pediatricians recognize the signs and symptoms of ASDs, as many patients with language developmental delays are ultimately diagnosed with ASDs. Pediatricians play an important role in the early recognition of ASDs, because they are usually the first point of contact for children with ASDs. A revision of the diagnostic criteria of ASDs was proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) that was released in May 2013. The autism spectrum describes a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the fifth edition of the DSM. The new diagnostic criteria encompasses previous elements from the diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. An additional change to the DSM includes synthesizing the section on social and communication deficits into one domain. In ASD patients, the appropriate behavioral therapies and rehabilitation treatments significantly affect the prognosis. Therefore, this makes early diagnosis and treatment very important. In conclusion, pediatricians need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of ASDs and be attentive to them in order to make an early diagnosis and provide treatment.
Asperger Syndrome ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Developmental Disabilities ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Early Diagnosis ; Genetics ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Language Development ; Prognosis ; Rehabilitation