Experiences Related to Deployment for Military Families with Children with ASD

Background:  

Military families are an underrepresented group in the ASD literature, despite the number of military dependents with a diagnosis of ASD reaching approximately 23,500 (Tricare, 2011).  There has been little peer-reviewed research to date on military families with children with special needs or children with ASD; however, previous research has indicated the presence of need within this population.  A survey by Ferrell and colleagues (2014) found that military spouses with a child with special needs perceived less informal and formal support than other military spouses.  Davis and Finke (2015) interviewed 15 military spouses with children with ASD about their therapeutic experiences.  Military spouses from this investigation reported challenges with relocation, deployment, Tricare, and military programs that resulted in negative impacts on their child’s autism related services.  Although Davis and Finke (2015) was a first step toward understanding this population, the experiences and needs of a larger sample of military families with children with ASD should be examined.  Due to specific characteristics of military families, military families who have children with ASD may have unique service needs.  The purpose of the current study was to describe the experiences of a larger sample of military families with a child with ASD during military deployments and separations to determine possible supports and factors related to their experiences.

Objectives:  

The main objectives of this investigation were to describe the experiences of military families with a child with ASD during military deployments and separations, determine possible supports for these families, and investigate factors that may influence their experience (e.g., is the number of deployments related to the military spouse’s rating of deployment satisfaction?).

Methods:  

In order to determine the deployment experiences of a larger sample of military families with children with ASD, a self-administered online survey design was chosen.  Surveys are a time and cost efficient design allowing researchers to collect self-reported data on personal experiences and generalize findings to a larger population (Rea & Parker, 2005).  The survey was administered online mode to extend the “reach” of respondents who may live in a number of geographic regions (van Selm & Jankowski, 2006). Further, online surveys are cost effective, contain no interviewer bias or data entry error, and allow for easy follow-up and quick data collection (Rea & Parker, 2005; van Selm & Jankowski, 2006). A review of the literature on families of children with ASD and/or other disabilities (e.g., Renty & Roeyers, 2006; Dunst, Jenkins, & Trivette, 1984) and military families (e.g., Huebner et al., 2010; Blue Star Families, 2013) was used to generate the questions and responses for the survey.

Results:  

Approximately 175 military spouses with children with ASD completed the deployment section of the online survey.  Data analysis is currently on-going, but preliminary results suggest military families with a child with ASD experience challenges related to deployments and separations of their military member.

Conclusions:  

Data analysis is currently on-going, but conclusions may impact clinical service providers, military programming and providers, and laws and policies.