Community participation and environment of children with and without autism spectrum disorder: parent perspectives

Aim: This study explored parent perspectives of participation patterns and environmental supports and barriers for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within their communities compared with a group of children without ASD.

Method: The Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth was used to gather online data from parents of 99 children with ASD and 241 children without ASD. Mann–Whitney U test and chi-square tests were used to explore differences between groups and Cohen's d was calculated to examine effect sizes.

Results: Significant differences between children with and without ASD were observed for all participation and environment summary scores. Children with ASD participated less frequently, were less involved, and their parents were less satisfied with their child’s participation in community-based activities. Parents of children with ASD also identified fewer supports for their child’s participation and more environmental barriers than other parents.

Conclusion: Children with ASD participated less in community-related activities than children without ASD as perceived by their parents. Barriers limiting community participation included features of the social and physical environment and limited resources.

Significance: Occupational therapists should focus on decreasing environmental challenges in their efforts to facilitate participation of children with ASD in the community.