Parental Stress
Researchers have presented varied findings on the association between adaptive behaviors of children with autism and parenting stress. Hall and Graff (2010) reported parents describing maladaptive and adaptive behaviors of their child with autism as sources of stress. Mothers reported that their children’s symptoms of autism caused their stress level to increase; however, fathers claimed that their children’s maladaptive behaviors increased their stress level (Hastings et al., 2005). Mothers’ stress levels also were reported to be higher than fathers’ stress levels (Hastings, 2003; Hastings & Brown, 2002). Research conducted by Gray (2003) showed that husbands and persons in the community blamed mothers for their children’s behavior problems. Appropriate coping strategies can help diminish stress for mothers and fathers of children with autism (Dunn, Burbine, Bowers, & Tantleff-Dunn, 2001).