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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
Autistic Authors' Narratives Of Trauma And Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis, Tessa Smith
Autistic Authors' Narratives Of Trauma And Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis, Tessa Smith
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
This qualitative dissertation investigates current research gaps regarding autistic individuals’ experience of trauma and resilience in the face of adversity. Specifically, it conceptualizes trauma and resilience through a neurodiverse lens, through identifying themes in memoirs written by five autistic authors related to trauma, potentially traumatic events, resiliency, and posttraumatic growth. Through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, I identified individual, interpersonal, and societal factors impacting the memoirists experiences of trauma, through the identification of 11 superordinate themes. Prominent themes at the individual level included self-acceptance and emotion regulation promoting resilience. At the contextual level, sensory processing and uncertainty coincided with experiences of trauma. …
Autism Paradigms And Mental Well-Being Among Autistic Adults: A Quantitative Exploration, Libbey Walker
Autism Paradigms And Mental Well-Being Among Autistic Adults: A Quantitative Exploration, Libbey Walker
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
Autistic populations experience significant mental health challenges. A growing body of research supports addressing autistic mental health problems using the framework of minority stress theory, the social model of disability, and the neurodiversity paradigm (e.g., Botha & Frost, 2018; Cage et al., 2018). This quantitative study explored how identification with the neurodiversity paradigm versus the pathology paradigm related to mental well-being in autistic adults. Participants (N = 135) completed an online survey in which they rated their identification with autism descriptions representing both paradigms. Participants also completed measures of psychological distress, self-esteem, personal autism acceptance, and internalized autism stigma. Most …
Child-Centered Play Therapy For Children With Autism: A Case Study, Ashley H. Morgenthal
Child-Centered Play Therapy For Children With Autism: A Case Study, Ashley H. Morgenthal
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
This dissertation evaluated archival data from the implementation of a child-centered approach to play therapy with a young girl diagnosed with autism. Goals of treatment included promoting spontaneous symbolic play and increasing verbal communication skills. Young children with autism who engage in early intervention often receive behavioral interventions, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), on a regular basis. However, the use of child-centered play therapy as an intervention is not as common, as play is frequently viewed as being a deficiency for children with autism. In psychological theory, play is often regarded as a child’s work, and his or her …
Asperger's Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder And Marital Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study, Kim L. Bolling
Asperger's Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder And Marital Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study, Kim L. Bolling
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
Few empirical studies exist that examine adult Asperger-affected relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which at least one partner has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), differs in some significant way from the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which neither partner has AS/ASD. Participants were 126 adults in relationships in which at least one partner had a diagnosis of AS or ASD, recruited from Asperger- and autism-related websites, social media, and organizations from English-speaking countries. Couples consisted of heterosexual and same-sex couples, couples with …
Children's Constructed Meanings Of Sisterhood When An Older Sibling Has Autism, Jamie L. Carroll
Children's Constructed Meanings Of Sisterhood When An Older Sibling Has Autism, Jamie L. Carroll
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
Sibling relationships have been recognized as important in facilitating the acquisition of emotional and social understanding and even assisting in cognitive development (Sanders, 2004). Sibling relationships that include one child with a disability are especially significant and worthy of study, as typical siblings tend to take on more responsibility for their siblings' care across their lifespan (Cicirelli, 1995). In attempting to understand these sibling relationships in childhood, past researchers have largely relied on parent report and behavioral observations. In order to advance the field's understanding of sibling relationships when one child autism, this study asked children to voice their perspectives …
Stresses Of Mothers Caring For An Older Adolescent Diagnosed With Autism: A Phenomenological Exploration, Linda Mason
Stresses Of Mothers Caring For An Older Adolescent Diagnosed With Autism: A Phenomenological Exploration, Linda Mason
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
A review of the literature provides ample research about caregiver stress in relationship to healthcare needs, aging, and mental illness. However, there is limited research about caregiver stress in regard to families that care for a child with disability. Further limited in scope is research about mothers who care for an older adolescent with diagnosed autism. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of six mothers caring for an older adolescent diagnosed with autism. The question about what causes stress resulted in findings: isolation, coping with their child's challenging behaviors, and frustration with the establishment. The question about what …