Raising a Child on the Autism Spectrum and Divorce Rates

When I started working in the Autism world, I'd heard that 80% of parents with a child on the Autism Spectrum get divorced. True or false? And where did this come from? Sure, parenting, teaching, and working with Autistic kids can be challenging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Let's look at a few resources, tools, and strategies related to divorce and Autistic kids that we find valuable:

1.Yes, this link requires a login, but below the Abstract you can click on links in the Similar Articles and Cited By sections--that say Free PMC Article. These free articles offer studies/info on tools and strategies parents have used to help with raising their child.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Research shows that parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with increased marital conflicts and reduced marital love. Less is known, however, about the potential mechanism underlying these associations. The present study tested a family process model linking child autism …

2. The importance of human connection to our health: this hour-long podcast from Hidden Brain discusses the challenges of marriage.

hiddenbrain.org

There are signs it's getting even harder. In this episode, we explore how long-term relationships have changed over time and whether we might be able to improve marriage by asking less of it.

3. From the Kennedy Kreiger Institute, this article discusses the "Myth of the 80% Divorce Rate" in relation to raising a child on the Autism Spectrum.

https://www.kennedykrieger.org/stories/interactive-autism-network-ian/whats-truth-about-autism-and-marriage#:~:text=The%20Myth%20of%20The%2080%25%20Divorce%20Rate&text=The%20researchers%2C%20from%20Kennedy%20Krieger,an%2080%20percent%20divorce%20rate.&text=In%20fact%2C%20parents%20of%20children,autism%2C%20according%20to%20their%20research

4. Psychology Today article with helpful strategies, especially the Helping Parents of Newly Diagnosed Children and A Thriving Marriage sections.

www.psychologytoday.com

What are parent perceptions of autism and divorce?

5. Full article with an interesting point that discusses when parents' marriage is most vulnerable to divorce.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

We compared the occurrence and timing of divorce in 391 parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a matched representative sample of parents of children without disabilities using a survival analysis. Parents of children with an ASD ...

6. Five challenges you might encounter raising a child on the Autism Spectrum, as well as Relationship Saving Strategies that parents might find helpful:

www.verywellhealth.com

Autism is a confusing disorder that can lead to serious disagreements between parents or guardians. Learn about the pitfalls and how to avoid them.