https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/houston/oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/13274
type: CreativeWork
name: Raising A Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Examining the Influence of Parental Stress, Racial Discrimination, and Law Enforcement Interactions on Racial Socialization Practices among Black Families
description: Background: Parental stress is high for caregivers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One source of stress for parents is the risk of law enforcement officers (LEOs) misinterpreting ASD-related behaviors as threatening or suspicious. For various reasons, law enforcement officers (LEOs) come into contact with autistic youth despite limited police training on the neurodevelopmental disability. The stress is particularly relevant for Black parents raising an autistic child due to the concerns related to ASD symptoms in addition to their racially minoritized identity. Racially biased stereotypes contribute to negative experiences with law enforcement for Black youth including disproportionate victimization by police. Taken together, Black autistic youth are in a vulnerable position, and Black parents raising a child diagnosed with ASD manage the additive stress from parenting an autistic child and managing their family’s experiences with racism and elevated risk for racial profiling in policing practices. Purpose: The current study explored the stressors uniquely experienced by Black families raising an autistic child with specific investigation of their fears and parenting behaviors influenced by the anticipation of encountering law enforcement officers. Thus, the study was guided by the following research questions to gain understanding: (1) What are the reported parental and race-related stressors experienced by Black families raising a Black child with ASD? (2) What fears do Black parents have regarding their Black child with ASD interacting with law enforcement? and (3) How do Black parents raising a Black child with ASD engage in racial socialization practices to prepare their child for interactions with law enforcement? Method: Using a convergent parallel mixed method design, a purposive sample of 13 Black parents raising a Black autistic adolescent were recruited to complete questionnaires; seven of those parents completed an individual intervi…
abstract: Background: Parental stress is high for caregivers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One source of stress for parents is the risk of law enforcement officers (LEOs) misinterpreting ASD-related behaviors as threatening or suspicious. For various reasons, law enforcement officers (LEOs) come into contact with autistic youth despite limited police training on the neurodevelopmental disability. The stress is particularly relevant for Black parents raising an autistic child due to the concerns related to ASD symptoms in addition to their racially minoritized identity. Racially biased stereotypes contribute to negative experiences with law enforcement for Black youth including disproportionate victimization by police. Taken together, Black autistic youth are in a vulnerable position, and Black parents raising a child diagnosed with ASD manage the additive stress from parenting an autistic child and managing their family’s experiences with racism and elevated risk for racial profiling in policing practices. Purpose: The current study explored the stressors uniquely experienced by Black families raising an autistic child with specific investigation of their fears and parenting behaviors influenced by the anticipation of encountering law enforcement officers. Thus, the study was guided by the following research questions to gain understanding: (1) What are the reported parental and race-related stressors experienced by Black families raising a Black child with ASD? (2) What fears do Black parents have regarding their Black child with ASD interacting with law enforcement? and (3) How do Black parents raising a Black child with ASD engage in racial socialization practices to prepare their child for interactions with law enforcement? Method: Using a convergent parallel mixed method design, a purposive sample of 13 Black parents raising a Black autistic adolescent were recruited to complete questionnaires; seven of those parents completed an individual intervi…
author: Ramclam, Ashley Nikol
language: eng
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Racial socialization, Parenting stress, Discrimination, Law enforcement, Black autistic youth
date published: 2022-08-18
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:32:58Z
provider: University of Houston
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Houston

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10657/13274