Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Parental Perspectives and Experiences

This dissertation presents a series of research projects exploring the perspective of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The elements of this proposal align with the guidelines for a manuscript-style dissertation outlined in Curry School of Education’s Ph.D. Dissertation Manual.
The manuscript-style option of the doctoral dissertation, also referred to as the three-paper option, requires a doctoral student to submit two research papers for which they take a lead role as well as a third paper to which they significantly contribute. The first manuscript is entitled “Brief Report: Driving and Young Adults with ASD: Parents’ Experiences.” The second manuscript is “Examining the Relationships between Parental Substance Use and the Severity of Problem Behaviors Exhibited by their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders." The third manuscript is “Model Invariance Across Genders in the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire.”