Hamre, Kristin2018-03-142018-03-142016-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/194604University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation.December 2016. Major: Social Work. Advisor: Elizabeth Lightfoot. 1 computer file (PDF); xi, 137 pages.In the nearly two decades since tracking began, prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children has continued to rise. In order to best serve families, is important to understand the unique experiences of families who have a child with ASD. Drawing on family stress adaptation theory, and primarily on the Double ABCX Model of Adjustment, factors which contribute to a family's positive adaptation are identified and analyzed. This study investigates the relationships among families with children with ASD and a number of indicators of socioeconomic status, including public benefit usage, parental education, and income. The study also characterizes the family unit, seeking to understand the distribution of family structures in which children with ASD reside. The study sample included 22,697 families with children ages 3 to 17 surveyed in the 2014 and 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). A number of logistic regression models were run to test associations. The findings indicate that families with ASD are having different experiences than families who have children with no diagnosis of ASD on a number of outcomes. Findings include a two year pooled prevalence estimate of children with ASD of 2.25%. Additionally, population estimates of family structures for children with ASD were calculated. The effects of autism on family structure revealed children with ASD had lower odds of living in a two parent household and higher odds of living with a single mother compared to children without ASD. The effects of ASD and family structure on a number of outcomes were analyzed. Compared to two parent households with a child without an ASD diagnosis, single and two parent households with a child with ASD had higher odds of government benefit usage, higher odds of household income under $50,000, and no difference in highest parental educational attainment. These results have implications in policy and practice for families with children with autism spectrum disorder.enautism spectrum disorderdisabilityfamily structureNational Health Interview SurveyNHISsocioeconomic statusThesis or Dissertation