Parental perspectives of the everyday experiences of uncertainty among young children on the autism spectrum

Anxiety commonly co-occurs in autism. Exploring and understanding potential underpinning mechanisms contributing to and maintaining anxiety in the early years is important in managing anxiety. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a tendency to find uncertainty difficult, is a transdiagnostic mechanism contributing to anxiety, but little is known about how IU may be experienced in young children on the autism spectrum. This study investigated parental perspectives of children's experiences of uncertainty.

Citation:
Ong CSY, Magiati I, Maybery MT, …….. Alvares GA. Parental perspectives of the everyday experiences of uncertainty among young children on the autism spectrum. Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2023;101

Keywords:
Anxiety; Autism; Intolerance of uncertainty; Qualitative study; clinical article; controlled study; distress syndrome; emotion regulation

Abstract:
Anxiety commonly co-occurs in autism. Exploring and understanding potential underpinning mechanisms contributing to and maintaining anxiety in the early years is important in managing anxiety. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a tendency to find uncertainty difficult, is a transdiagnostic mechanism contributing to anxiety, but little is known about how IU may be experienced in young children on the autism spectrum. This study investigated parental perspectives of children's experiences of uncertainty.