Analysis of parental expectations for the development and related factors of children with autism spectrum disorder
10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2026286
- VernacularTitle:合肥市父母对孤独症谱系障碍儿童发展期望及相关因素分析
- Author:
CHEN Haifeng, MO Huayan, GAO Hui, WU De, XU Guifeng, YANG Zhu, MAO Yingyu, YU Jie, WANG Kang, GUO Hongqiong, CHENG Haiyan, ZHENG Minghui, YU Zixiang, TAO Fangbiao
1
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022,Anhui Province,China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Autistic disorder;
Mental health;
Regression analysis;
Child;
Legal guardians
- From:
Chinese Journal of School Health
2026;47(9):1312-1316
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To assess parental expectations for the development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identify factors associated with these expectations, so as to provide references for improving rehabilitation outcomes and long term development in children with ASD.
Methods:From June 2024 to January 2026, a total of 877 children with ASD and their parents were recruited from 27 rehabilitation institutions in Hefei. The children had been diagnosed by chief physicians at tertiary level hospitals. Demographic characteristics and data on parental expectations were collected by the Parental Expectations Questionnaire. Differences in parental expectations between groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U- test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test, and associated factors were examined using quantile regression.
Results:The mean item score for overall parental expectations among parents of children with ASD was (4.55±0.47), and scores for all dimensions were higher than those among parents of typically developing children ( t =11.11-31.14, all P <0.01). Child age, school enrollment, and maternal personality were associated with daily living expectation scores, learning and special talents and strengths expectation scores, and special talents and strengths expectation scores, respectively ( H =6.16-8.18, all P <0.05). Parents of preterm children had higher expectations for social interaction, physical and mental well being, and daily living than parents of non-preterm children ( Z =-2.56, -2.48, -2.39, all P <0.05). Multivariate quantile regression analysis showed that children’s age was associated with the expected level of self care ability; school enrollment status was associated with the expected level of learning and specialty strengths; maternal personality was associated with the expected levels of social competence, physical and mental health, self care ability, and specialty strengths; parental age was associated with the expected levels of physical and mental health and specialty strengths; and parental educational attainment was associated with the expected level of self care ability ( β =-0.36-0.41, all P <0.05).
Conclusion:Parents of children with ASD in Hefei generally have high expectations for their children s development across the domains of learning, daily living, social interaction, and physical and mental well being.
