ABSTRACT
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental childhood disorder associated with cognitive and language impairments. Previous research found that children with developmental disorders increase parenting stress but parents of children with ASD, specifically have recorded higher parenting stress than any other developmental disabilities. Hence, this study investigates the difference in parenting stress levels among parents of children with ASD compared to a typical development (TD) control group. Parenting Stress Index, 3rd Edition Short Form was used to assess the parenting stress levels of 30 parents of children with ASD and 36 parents of TD children. Parents of children with ASD were sampled at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Tangkak Hospital and National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) in Muar and Segamat. Parents of children with ASD recorded significantly higher levels of parenting stress compared to the TD group (p<0.001). Parents of male children of ASD recorded significantly higher levels of parenting stress compared to the parents of male children of TD group (p<0.001). Parents of female children of ASD also recorded significantly higher levels of parenting stress compared to parents of female children of TD group (p<0.001). Intervention towards ASD children should not only focus on minimizing the core symptoms but should also pay attention to the family’s mental health as well.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , ParentingABSTRACT
Three-dimensional ceramic nanostructured films were produced from silicon-containing triblock copolymer films exhibiting the double gyroid and inverse double gyroid morphologies (space group Ia3d). A one-step room-temperature oxidation process that used ozonolysis and ultraviolet irradiation effected both the selective removal of the hydrocarbon block and the conversion of the silicon-containing block to a silicon oxycarbide ceramic stable to 400 degrees C. Depending on the relative volume fraction of the hydrocarbon block to the silicon- containing block, either nanoporous or nanorelief structures were fabricated with calculated interfacial areas of approximately 40 square meters per gram and pore or strut sizes of approximately 20 nanometers.
ABSTRACT
The performance of amorphous organic photorefractive (PR) materials in applications such as optical data storage is generally limited by the concentration of active molecules (chromophores) that can be incorporated into the host without forming a crystalline material with poor optical quality. In polymeric PR systems described previously, performance has been limited by the necessity of devoting a large fraction of the material to inert polymer and plasticizing components in order to ensure compositional stability. A new class of organic PR materials composed of multifunctional glass-forming organic chromophores is described that have long-term stability and greatly improved PR properties.