Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2014, Page 62

the Autonomy & Parents dimension. Significant differences were obtained between the
scores of younger (8–11 years) and older (12–17 years) children with ASD on the Au-
tonomy & Parents dimension, with adolescents scoring higher than younger children,
and between the parents of younger and older children on the Physical Well-being, Psy-
chological Well-being and Social Support & Peers dimensions, with parents of younger
children scoring higher. The parents of children with ASD evaluated their children’s
QoL significantly less on all dimensions than did parents of children in the control
group. Internal consistency values of the KIDSCREEN-27 dimensions (Cronbach’s-α)
were in the range of 0.790-0.893 for self-report measures and 0.705-0.916 for the proxy
version.
Interpretation: The study provides an important insight into the QoL of high-func-
tioning children with ASD, both from children’s and parents’ perspective. The dis-
cordance between the answers of children with ASD and their parents is of particular
interest and highlights the importance of seeking information about participation in
daily life from the children themselves. Parents may have greater difficulty inter-
preting the world through the eyes of their children with ASD than they would for
more typically developing children. Additionally, the parents’ concerns regarding their
children’s lack of social participation and future prospects may affect the parent’s
answers, even if they are asked to answer just like their child would. Children and
adults may hold different values and parents may compare their child to same age
peers while the child with ASD refers to own experience when considering his or
her participation and well-being. They may even see the ASD as a positive aspect of
their self-image, since they do not know anything else and thus do not compare to the
typical developmental process. The results indicate that special attention should be
given to factors related to social participation and physical activity among children
with ASD in order to increase their QoL. The results can be useful for guiding and
planning services for children with ASD and their families, especially within schools
and during leisure time.
Keywords: Quality of life, high-functioning children, autism, KIDSCREEN-27, self-
report
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