Marriages and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

An examination of the marital relationships of couples
who have a child with an autism spectrum disorder

By Jen Koenig Nelson

1. Your child’s date of birth
     January February March April May June July August September October November December     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31    1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

1a. Your child’s gender
     Male Female
 

  2. Your zip code   
     

3. What is your child's current diagnosis on his/her IEP/IFSP?
    
4. Does your child have any other diagnoses or medical conditions? Yes No
    If yes, please describe
    

5. How old was your child at the time of his/her current diagnosis? 

6. When did you first suspect that your child may have special needs?

7. At the time your child was diagnosed, were you given a current level of functioning?  Yes No
    If yes, use the following scale to rate what you were told at the time of diagnosis:

8. Has the level of your child’s functioning changed since the time of diagnosis?  Yes No

9. Presence of challenging behavior
    (Please choose the one that applies)

10. How frequently does your child display these stereotypical behaviors?
     (Please choose the one that applies)

11. Does your child currently live in your home?  Yes No
      If no, where does s/he currently live?
     

12. What kind of services is your child currently receiving? (Choose all that apply)
     Educational   Recreational   Therapy
      Other (please specify):
      

13. What is your marital status? (Please check the one that applies to you)

      If married, how many years have you been married?
      If married, how many years were you married prior to your child being diagnosed?

16. Do you have any other children living in the home?  Yes No
      If you answered yes, please indicate their ages and gender:
      Child 1:  M F   -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Older
      Child 2:  M F   -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Older
      Child 3:  M F   -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Older
      Child 4:  M F   -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Older

17. Have any of your other children been diagnosed with a disability?  Yes No
     If so, what is the current diagnosis?
     

18. Are you the primary caregiver in your family?  Yes No
18a. What is your gender?  Male Female

19. What is the highest level of schooling you have completed?
      Some high school High school graduate or GED Some college College graduate Graduate school or post-college professional training

20. Please check the salary range that applies to your family:
      Under $5000 $10,000 to $19,999 $20,000 to $29,999 $30,000 to $39,999 $40,000 to $49,999 $50,000 and over

21. Please check the types of support that you receive on a regular basis  (Choose all that apply):
     Parents/Spouse’s parents  Relatives  Friends  Other parents of children with disabilities
     Respite care  Professionals (therapists, teachers, etc.)  School/Day-care center  Church
      Other (please specify):
     
 

Please carefully rate your spouse’s contribution to the relationship recently – over the past 6 months. How positive or negative are the resources and support your spouse provides to you?

• Spouse’s Relationship Qualities: Love and Intimacy Toward You

1. Commitment to you

2. Sexual involvement

3. Understanding of you

4. Affectionate toward you

5. Listening to your feelings

6. Open communication

7. Comforting you

8. Respectful of your independence

9. Companionship given to you

• Spouse’s Relationship Qualities: Respect for You

10. Acceptance of you

11. Respect for you

12. Confidence in your abilities

13. Valuing your opinion

14. Expressing appreciation

• Spouse’s Support: Informational Assistance Given to You

15. Suggestions for avoiding mistakes

16. Constructive decision making

17. Good ideas for problem solving

18. Knows how to find out about information and/or resources

• Spouse’s Support: Service Given to You

19. Care when you’re sick

20. Extra tasks when you’re stressed

21. Contribution to household tasks

22. Running errands when not expected to

• Spouse’s Resource Contribution: Money Provided for You

23. Providing/earning money

24. Spending habits

25. Making financial decisions

• Spouse’s Resource Contribution: Goods Provided to You

26. Gifts to you

27. Making important purchases

28. Providing supplies unexpectedly

1. How satisfied are you with your marriage?