Chaos and adaptive functioning for children with autism: parental worry as a mediating factor

Purpose Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have lower adaptive functioning scores than their peers, which is the ability of one to care for themselves and communicate well with others. Previous research has established that lower adaptive functioning scores in children with ASD can be partially influenced by the presence of chaos in the home. To better understand how chaos may affect adaptive functioning, this study aims to establish whether parental worry mediated the link between chaos in the home and the adaptive functioning (communication, daily living skills, socialization) of children with ASD compared to those without ASD. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 202 parents, 99 with a child with ASD and 103 without ASD. Parents responded to the Confusion, Hubbub and Order Scale, asking about the chaos level in their home. They also completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-3 caregiver survey). Findings Correlations were found between chaos levels and adaptive functioning, with more chaos predicting decreases in adaptive functioning overall. Moreover, a mediation analysis, using parent worry as the mediator, found a significant mediation in daily living skills and socialization, but only for the families with an autistic child. Overall, these findings suggest that parental worry may partially influence how household chaos affects adaptive functioning in families with an autistic child, especially in areas that can be more easily shaped by the environment, like daily living skills and socialization. Originality/value This study furthers the understanding of how environmental influences and parental psychological factors affect the development of adaptive behaviors in autistic children.