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Caregiver Attributions of Toddlers' Behaviors: A Comparison Between Groups of Children with Differing Developmental

Daina M Tagavi1, Hannah R Benavidez2, Taylor C Kalmus3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Guthrie Hall, Box 351525, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. dtagavi@uw.edu.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|December 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show distinct attributional patterns. They perceive their child's positive behaviors as situational and challenging behaviors as more permanent, potentially impacting family well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Limited understanding of caregiver attributions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  • Need to compare these patterns with caregivers of children with other developmental concerns or no concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in caregiver attributions of child behavior among toddlers with ASD, other developmental concerns, and no concerns.
  • To identify if caregiver attributions predict endorsed behaviors and their perceived causes.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative content analysis of caregiver descriptions of child behavior.
  • Regression analyses to examine group differences in attributions for positive and challenging behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Caregivers of children with ASD rated positive behaviors as less characteristic, more situational, less stable, and less controllable.
  • Caregivers of children with ASD rated challenging behaviors as more stable and less controllable compared to other groups.

Conclusions:

  • Caregivers of children with ASD may exhibit a negative attributional bias.
  • This pattern has significant implications for child and family functioning and quality of life.

Keywords:
AttributionsAutismBehaviorsCaregiversEarly childhood

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