Background: Advancements in medicine have increased the life expectancy of the people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. The hypothesis is that as parents get older, they worry about no longer being there for their child. This paper explores the extent to which the experiences of older parents may differ from that of younger…

Background: Although studies have examined quality of life (QOL) among family caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about potential differences in QOL based on the age of the individual with ASD, particularly in relation to caregivers' needs, beliefs and coping mechanisms. Method: This study investigated…

Background: The study explores the experiences of parents of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), and examines the influences of parent gender and child age on perceived stress, stress and coping, child-rearing involvement, support and information/education accessed. Methods and Materials: Questionnaires assessed general perceived…

Background: Previous research has identified various dimensions of social support that are positively associated with parental well-being. However, most research does not include multiple measures of social support and uses heterogeneous samples in terms of child characteristics such as age and severity of intellectual disability. Methods:…