In Their Own Words: Mothers Narrate the Lived Experience of Raising Children with Developmental Disorders Who Engage in Socially Disruptive Conduct.

The occupational role of a mother parenting a child with developmental and socially disruptive conduct is unique. How mothers express their experiences is poorly explored in the literature. This study aims to better understand mothers' description of their unique experiences in order to better inform interventions.

Children with autism spectrum disorder and social skills groups at school: a randomized trial comparing intervention approach and peer composition.

Background: Peer relationships improve for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in clinic-based social skills groups but rarely generalize to real world contexts. This study compares child outcomes of two social skills interventions conducted in schools with children in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Method: Children with ASD were randomized to one of two interventions that varied on group composition (mixed typical and ASD vs.

Emotional Disclosure Through Journal Writing: Telehealth Intervention for Maternal Stress and Mother-Child Relationships.

This study examines emotional disclosure through the activity of journaling as a means of coping with maternal stress associated with parenting a child with disruptive behaviors. Through a randomized control and pre-test post-test study design of an online journal writing intervention, change to maternal stress and quality of mother-child relationship for children with ASD, ADHD and SPD was addressed. Behavioral symptoms were found to be the primary source of parenting stress for mothers and a significant relationship between child characteristics and maternal stress was identified.

The peer relationships of girls with ASD at school: comparison to boys and girls with and without ASD.

Background: This study examines the social relationships of elementary school children with high-functioning autism, focusing on how gender relates to social preferences and acceptance, social connections, reciprocal friendships, and rejection.

Method: Peer nomination data were analyzed for girls with and without ASD (n = 50) and boys with and without ASD (n = 50). Girls and boys with ASD were matched by age, gender, and IQ.

Intervention effectiveness for children and youth.

We reviewed 11 articles, including efficacy and effectiveness studies, addressing intervention effectiveness for children and youth published in 2012 in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and organized them by level and type of research according to a framework adapted from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Compared with articles published in previous years, these studies showed improvement in their ability to guide practitioners to make evidence-based decisions by increasing understanding of the intervention's pragmatic relevance and the extent to which it promotes participation in childhood and adolescent occupations. Studies' evidence levels have increased along with efforts to increase scientific rigor.