Coping Strategies Used by Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Little is understood about how adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders attempt to cope with problems. Six males between 13- and 17-years-old with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism completed an adapted Adolescent Coping Scale, the Social Skills Rating System, the Personal Wellbeing Index and a semistructured interview about the ways they coped. Parental reports on an adapted Adolescent Coping Scale and the Social Skills Rating System were also collected for four participants. Social skill and subjective wellbeing measures demonstrated a sample characterised by considerable variability between normative and less than normative ranges. Adolescents reported using a range of coping strategies, however they described their coping efforts as often ineffective. Parents also perceived that their sons used several nonproductive coping strategies more frequently. The results support that coping is a relevant area for future research attention with these young people and that the assessment of coping would be useful for targeted intervention practices.