Psycho-social issues in childhood autism rehabilitation : a review

This article outlines the research that is available on families coping with a child diagnosed with autism or related disorders. The scant research that is available is highlighted along with the strong call in the literature for further work in this area. Autism has been described as a condition with a greater number of stressors than any other disability. Research that has been completed is explored and used as a basis to examine new directions required to meet the needs of families coping with the demands. Strong recommendations for further research have been developed from the available literature. It is the hope and expectation that such a review and these recommendations, will go some way to assist other researchers interested in furthering the welfare of families coping with autism and related disorders.