Parenting Stress, Parent's Culture, and Child's Abilities

Project Overview

This study explores the relationship between parenting stress, cultural background, and the abilities of minimally verbal children on the autism spectrum. Parent-reported measures were used to assess parenting stress, parents’ cultural background, and their child’s abilities in samples from India and the U.S. This research provides valuable insights into the complex interplay of internal and external factors in the development of communication skills in minimally verbal autistic children.

Roles and Responsibilities

For my Ph.D. dissertation project, I led all aspects of the study under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Brady at the University of Kansas. My responsibilities included.

Formulating research questions and hypotheses
Developing a cross-national research protocol
Obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
Collecting, organizing, and analyzing data
Providing guidance and support to a student research assistant
Developing an analytical plan and conducting data analyses
Communicating research findings through presentations, talks, and publications

Publication

Suswaram, S., Brady, N. C., & Boyd, B. (2024). The impact of parenting stress and cultural orientation on communication skills in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorders: A comparative study in India and the US. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 112, 102337.

Presentations

Suswaram, S. & Brady, N. C. (2022, May). Comparing in Developmental Profile of Minimally Verbal Children. International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting (INSAR), Austin, TA. [Virtual]

Suswaram, S., & Brady, N. C. (2021, November). Conducing International Research in Communication Disorders: Lessons Learned from Recruiting participants from India. Research Technical Talk. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention, New Orleans, LA. [Virtual]

Invited Presentations

Suswaram, S. (2021, February & March). Parenting Stress and Child Development Across Cultures. Spotlight Series, Regional Autism Advisory Council of Southwest Ohio Task Force, Butler County, Clermont County, Hamilton County, and Warren County, OH. [Virtual]

Suswaram, S. (2021, January). Stress is a Cultural factor: Parenting a Child with ASD in India. Asian Indian Caucus, American Speech-Language Hearing Association. [Virtual]