Toward reducing behavior problems in autistic children

A historical perspective was presented, attempting to trace how some clinical concepts and working assumptions, effective in the past, had drifted out of relationship with social changes, and were now considered by many as being myths. These included the assumption that developmental deviations such as autism were primarily normal responses to family stress and that autism primarily involved the child's social withdrawal from a hostile environment. In this paper some relationships between such myth beliefs and parental difficulties in managing their autistic child were identified. Specific management difficulties were distinguished from general ones. The latter manifest themselves in parental confusion, inappropriate expectations, and social role diffusion. Suggestions were made for helping parental management through changing treatment structures from traditional procedures.