Purpose

Due to the nature and complexity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which typically requires coordination among various treatments targeting different areas of need, the entire family is impacted. Family quality of life (FQOL) research has emerged to address the range of adaptation families experience when raising a child with ASD. One factor that is likely to impact FQOL relates to families’ service use to support their child’s needs. The goal of the present study was to examine the relations between specific domains of FQOL and service usage type among families of children with ASD.

Methods

A total of 164 caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD were asked which autism services they were currently using and completed the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale and the Nisonger Child Behaviour Rating Form.

Results

Findings revealed that service usage type significantly predicted families’ satisfaction with their emotional well-being, physical/material well-being, and disability-related support. Specifically, families using a combination of mental health services and ADL therapies reported greater satisfaction in these FQOL domains.

Conclusion

Present findings underscore that families need access to a sufficiently broad range of child services and supports in order to benefit their FQOL.

中文翻译：

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精神保健服务和ADL疗法的结合能否改善自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭的生活质量？

目的

由于自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的性质和复杂性（通常需要针对不同需求领域的各种治疗方法之间进行协调），整个家庭受到了影响。家庭生活质量（FQOL）研究已经出现，以解决在抚养ASD儿童时家庭适应经历的范围。可能影响FQOL的一个因素与家庭使用服务来满足孩子的需求有关。本研究的目的是研究ASD儿童家庭中FQOL特定域与服务使用类型之间的关系。

方法

询问总共164名被诊断为ASD的儿童的照顾者，他们目前正在使用哪种自闭症服务，并填写了Beach Center家庭生活质量量表和Nisonger儿童行为评估表。

结果

调查结果表明，服务使用类型显着预测了家庭对其情感幸福感，身体/物质幸福感以及与残疾相关的支持的满意度。具体而言，使用精神卫生服务和ADL疗法相结合的家庭对这些FQOL领域的满意度更高。

结论

目前的发现强调，家庭需要获得足够广泛的儿童服务和支持，以使他们的FQOL受益。