Factors influencing the mental health of autistic children and teenagers: Parents' observations and experiences.
Suzanne Mukherjee, Bryony Beresford
PMID 36922430WHAT IT FOUND
Parents identified school environment and communication skills as critical for their autistic teenagers' mental health.
Bullying, sensory overload, and rigid academic expectations worsened anxiety, while specialist schools with accepting peers and visual supports improved well-being. Lack of ongoing support services left parents feeling helpless.
Key findings
01Parents believed the school environment exerted the greatest influence on their child's mental well-being, with bullying and sensory overload causing deterioration.
02Having an effective way of communicating was consistently identified as critical to preventing and addressing mental health and behaviour problems.
03A lack of access to statutory mental health services and autism-specialist support after the immediate post-diagnosis period led parents to rely on self-directed research and private providers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on retrospective accounts from parents, which may be subject to memory bias. The sample was predominantly mothers, potentially limiting insights into fathers' perspectives. Participants were recruited from families living in London, so findings may not reflect school environments or service availability across the rest of the UK. The study reports parents' beliefs and theories, not objectively measured effects of factors on mental health.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific interventions (like moving schools or increasing communication support) will improve mental health outcomes. The study reports parents' subjective beliefs about what influenced their child's well-being, not causal effects demonstrated by controlled trials.