Investigation of Menstrual Hygiene and Self-Care Skills of Adolescent Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mother Views.
Rukiye Arslan, Derya Yanık, Raziye Pekşen Akça
PMID 38954362WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of girls with ASD described ongoing help with toileting, bathing, pad use and hair cleaning.
All reported no puberty preparations, and mothers were the main caregivers.
Key findings
0150% of mothers said their daughters could not independently use the toilet and clean after it, and 90% said they could not cut nails regularly.
02All mothers reported no preparatory activity for puberty, and 80% had not told their daughters about menstrual blood or pad use.
03Mothers were the main people performing hygiene and self-care, and mothers said their daughters were not able to ask for help.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study reports mothers' views, not direct assessments of the girls' abilities. Only mothers were included, so fathers, teachers and the girls themselves were not asked. The sample was small and purposive, so it cannot show how common these problems are. The study was done in one city in Turkey, and the authors say it cannot be generalised beyond that region. Some girls who had not started menstruation were excluded, so the findings apply only to girls already menstruating. No comparison group of girls without ASD was included.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that all adolescent girls with ASD cannot manage menstrual hygiene. The study reports mothers' views from a small, purposive sample in one Turkish city, and it did not directly assess the girls or compare them with girls without ASD.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →