Spiritual Needs of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cwik, Jan Christopher

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-70139-0_20

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Providing support in this area for families and their children could prove helpful and improve the QoL of these adolescents with disabilities. Research on autistic adults has shown that they not only have spiritual needs but also use religious and spiritual practices and that these elements are connected to several life-quality indicators [ 66 ].…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Intersection of Faith and Neurodiversity: Unraveling Religiosity in Autistic Adolescents—A Critical Review Analysis

Hayat,

Meny,

Millman

et al. 2024

Cureus

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This literature review aims to explore religiosity, faith, and related beliefs in autistic adolescents. The term religiosity was used interchangeably with various related concepts such as faith, spirituality, and religious beliefs, and a broader, multifaceted approach encompassing the cognitive, subjective, social, cultural, and emotional domains of religiosity is analyzed in this population subgroup. In alignment with the neurodiversity paradigm, this review endeavors to adopt an inclusive lens toward autism spectrum conditions, appreciating the spectrum of cognitive and behavioral differences and highlighting the importance of recognizing strengths and challenges alike, reflecting the nuanced discourse surrounding neurodiversity and autism spectrum conditions. However, terms such as "high-functioning autism" and "disorder" were used where needed to reflect the journals included in the review. A systematic search was conducted by accessing academic search engines such as APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycTests, and PubMed. Only peer-reviewed articles written in English and performed on human subjects were included using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.Several recurring themes were identified from the 13 articles selected after review for relevance and quality. The most important finding was the association of different terminologies and features while exploring "religiosity in autism." Thirty-nine key themes were identified, which were grouped into six major themes. These were religious faith, spirituality, and its expression in autistic adolescents; religious behaviors and practices of autistic adolescents; cognition and religion in autistic teens; social and cultural influences on religiosity in autistic young ones; parents' and carers' influence, perspectives, and experiences about faith and spirituality on autistic adolescents; and perceived benefits of faith to autistic teens: parents and adolescent perspectives.Looking at the concept of religiosity and spirituality as a whole, it can be inferred from the available research included in this review that religiosity (cognitive abilities, behaviors, and experiences) in a subset of autistic adolescents (high-functioning autism) might not be significantly subdued as compared to neurotypical adolescents. However, there is not enough research to conclude the same or the opposite for autistic adolescents in general. When found, reserved religiosity could be attributed to a plethora of factors, and decreased mental ability or mentalization, empathy, or imagination did not seem to be the sole or primary predictors or contributors to religiosity. The role of culture, parents, carers, and religious affiliations was significant and might be a stronger contributor to religiosity and its expression than other previously argued predictors like mentalization.Many autistic teens and their carers regard religiosity and spirituality as essential domains in their and their children's lives, want their children to be given opportunities to be a part of religious gr...

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Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Intersection of Faith and Neurodiversity: Unraveling Religiosity in Autistic Adolescents—A Critical Review Analysis

Hayat,

Meny,

Millman

et al. 2024

Cureus

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“…The biggest differences were found in the indicators for health and wellbeing, life achievements, social relations and inclusion in the community, but there were no significant differences in the levels of general QOL and current and future security. Neither were any significant differences found in perceived satisfaction with spirituality, which is important since spirituality and religion have proven to be an important aspect for many people with ASD, as it relates to their quality of life, shapes their view of disability and gives it a positive meaning (Cwik, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2014 ). In addition, when analyzing possible predictors of QOL on the basis of the four domains described by the World Health Organization –physical (including pain, energy), psychological (including positive and negative feelings, concentration), social (personal relationships, friends, sexuality) and environment (including safety, partaking in leisure activities and monetary resources)– Mason et al ( 2018 ) found three main characteristics that may be predictive of a low QOL in this population: being female, having an associated mental condition and the severity of the autism symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Perceived Quality of Life in Spanish-Speaking Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Morales-Hidalgo

Martínez

Gutiérrez-González

et al. 2021

J Autism Dev Disord

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Perceived personal wellbeing tends to be lower in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), especially in the case of women. To develop the present study, the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI-A) was administered to a Spanish-speaking sample of women with ASD (N = 401) and self-diagnosed ASD (N = 343), women without ASD (N = 373) and men with ASD (N = 65) to compare their self-perceptions. Women with ASD showed significantly lower wellbeing rates than women in the control group for the total PWI-A and across all the domains, and there were no significant differences when compared with self-diagnosed women with ASD and men with ASD. Autism explained between 24 and 26% of the decline in the PWI-A total score, with life achievement, future security, safety and relationships being the domains most highly correlated with the total. These findings are an effective contribution to improving diagnosis and professional intervention in women with ASD.

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The Spiritual Needs Questionnaire in Research and Clinical Application: a Summary of Findings

Büssing

2021

J Relig Health

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To provide spiritual care, an assessment and documentation of patients´ spiritual struggles and/or their spiritual needs is required to initiate appropriate support planning processes. For that purpose, the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) was developed in 2009 as an easy to apply standardized measure. The tool has so far been translated into numerous languages and is widely used as a valid and reliable instrument to assess a wide range of spiritual needs of patients with chronic diseases, elderly, adolescents, and healthy persons. Its four main factors address Religious needs, Existential needs, Inner Peace needs, and Giving/Generativity needs. Here, the main findings are summarized and discussed.

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Spiritual Needs of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cited by 3 publications

References 50 publications

The Intersection of Faith and Neurodiversity: Unraveling Religiosity in Autistic Adolescents—A Critical Review Analysis

The Intersection of Faith and Neurodiversity: Unraveling Religiosity in Autistic Adolescents—A Critical Review Analysis

Self-Perceived Quality of Life in Spanish-Speaking Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Spiritual Needs Questionnaire in Research and Clinical Application: a Summary of Findings

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