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Published on: December 7, 2018
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Parental Insightfulness and Its Association With Social Competence in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children
Liron Oliver-Aronson1, Lital Kohn1, Tali Gev1,2
1Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Summary
Parental insightfulness (PI) in parents of autistic children showed unique patterns, with higher PI potentially mitigating social challenges. This suggests PI is a valuable target for interventions aimed at improving social outcomes for autistic children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Parental insightfulness (PI) is crucial for child socio-emotional development.
- Understanding PI in parents of autistic children is vital for targeted support.
- Previous research links PI to child development, but its role in autism and peer interactions needs further exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine PI concerning child-peer interactions in autistic and non-autistic (NA) children (aged 4-7).
- To investigate the association between PI and social competence in autistic and NA children.
- To determine if PI moderates the relationship between autism diagnosis and social competence.
Main Methods:
- Parents of autistic (n=68) and NA (n=46) children aged 4-7 participated.
- Parents completed the Insightfulness Assessment (IA) interview after watching videos of their child's peer interaction.
- Child social competence and parental reflective functioning were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Parents of autistic children exhibited similar positive insightfulness but struggled more with maintaining focus on their child's mental states, acceptance, and showed more concern compared to parents of NA children.
- Parental insightfulness (PI) moderated the negative association between autism diagnosis and children's social competence.
- Higher levels of PI weakened the negative impact of autism diagnosis on social competence.
Conclusions:
- Parental insightfulness (PI) may buffer social difficulties experienced by autistic children.
- Specific aspects of PI, such as focus on mental states and acceptance, are key areas for parents of autistic children.
- Enhancing PI in parents could be a viable intervention strategy to improve social outcomes for autistic children.
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