Variables influencing parental treatment selection for children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis that often leaves families faced with more questions than answers. With a multitude of choices for possible treatments for a child with ASD, it is important to understand parental perceptions of what they report as reasons for choosing treatments for their child. The following research used a mixed methods approach and a questionnaire developed by the authors to identify possible reasons for parental treatment selection. The quantitative data analysis indicated that there were significant associations between length of time with an ASD diagnosis, family size, education level of the parent and parents selecting nonevidence-based treatments (NEST). Qualitative data analysis identified five themes which included the amount of information available for treating autism, consistency across sources, specific goals regarding the treatment itself, concerns about treatment safety and evidentiary support, as well as factors outside of parental control.