parenting a child with autism

184 Pages·2013·0.53 MB·English

PARENTING A CHILD WITH AUTISM
Support for early parent-child interaction
Irina Elizabeth Poslawsky
ISBN: 978-90-784-7724-2
Cover design & lay-out: Narratio, Gorinchem
Cover illustration: Lieve Wis, 7 jaar
Published by: Docete, Utrecht
© 2013 I.E. Poslawsky
No part of this thesis may be reproduced without prior permission of the
author.
PARENTING A CHILD WITH AUTISM
Support for early parent-child interaction
Het opvoeden van kinderen met autisme
Ondersteuning van de vroege ouder-kind interactie
(met een samenvatting in het Nederlands)
Proefschrift
ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht
op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. G.J. van der Zwaan,
ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties
in het openbaar te verdedigen op
donderdag 9 januari 2014 des ochtends te 10.30 uur
door
Irina Elizabeth Poslawsky
geboren op 27 januari 1954
te Utrecht
Promotoren: Prof. dr. H. van Engeland
Prof. dr. M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg
Copromotor: Dr. F.B.A. Naber
Voor Marti
Argeloos samen opgegroeid

Contents
Chapter 1 9
Introduction
Chapter 2 27
Parental reaction to early diagnosis of their children’s
Autism Spectrum Disorder: an exploratory study
Chapter 3 61
Development of a Video feedback Intervention to promote
Positive Parenting for Children with Autism (VIPP-AUTI)
Chapter 4 81
Enhancing Parental Efficacy and Sensitivity to Children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Randomized Controlled Trial with
Video-feedback to Promote Positive Parenting Adapted to Autism
(VIPP-AUTI)
Chapter 5 105
Improving Joint Attention of Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder: a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Parent-Mediated
Intervention
Chapter 6 127
Oxytocin enhances paternal sensitivity to a child with autism:
A double blind within subject experiment with intranasally
administered oxytocin.
Chapter 7 141
Summary and General discussion
Chapter 8 157
Nederlandse samenvatting
Dankwoord
Curriculum Vitae
Publications
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8
Chapter 1
Introduction
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CHAPTER 1
Introduction
“Because I am getting tired of people making remarks like “it’ll be
OK”; “Just be stricter with him” and “It’s just fashionable to put a
label on a child”.
It’ll be OK: Well, no. Neil really does have autism, even though he is
nothing like a drooling, contact-disturbed Rain Man. He has most
trouble dealing with busy and noisy activities, people he doesn’t know,
unexpected situations, loud noises, food; and regarding his language
skills, he is “slow in understanding things”. He takes everything so
literally. For example, when the doorbell rings and I ask him to open the
door, he will do that, but then he will walk straight back, leaving the
person standing by the door. He was asked to open the door, right? He
also puts things together wrongly. A few months ago, he hit his head
during gym class and he is now scared to hit his head again during gym
class because gym class equals hitting his head. If something doesn’t
goes as planned, or the furniture is rearranged, or we are in a busy or
noisy place, it confuses him and a tantrum results. And there are about
83 other things that Neil has difficulties with. So, no, it’s not OK.
Just be stricter with him: That won’t help. If Neil doesn’t want
something, most of the time it’s because he doesn’t understand or
because (he thinks) he won’t be able to manage. Getting angry will
make it worse and then there will be another huge tantrum (again).
It’s just fashionable to put a label on a child: It might look like
that because we are learning more and more about autism. I am
overjoyed with his label. Now I (and school and others) can help him
and understand him better. If there had been no such diagnosis, he
would probably be ‘that difficult and annoying child’. Now we can do
something about it, or at least we can understand his situation better.
Didn’t we all know a kid in school who didn’t fit in with the rest when
we were little? Well, that kid is my kid….
By the way: my child is the sweetest child in the world!
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