The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adolescents has increased over the past decade. Consequently, the courts and experts are more likely to be exposed to these children whose needs are highly heterogeneous. The present study aims to document judicial decision-making about children with autism spectrum as well as the parenting recommendations made by experts involved in these cases. There were 104 court decisions reviewed in Quebec over the past ten years. The results show that 85.6% of the decisions included a child custody assessment and that judges are more likely to order primary care to mother (56%). However, shared parenting (27%) and primary care to the father (17%) were also ordered in disputes involving an autistic child. Bivariate analyses revealed that challenges with parental monitoring and supervision were associated with court-ordered parenting arrangements. The present study revealed that a child custody assessment as well as father custody are more often observed than in the general population. This study highlights the need for further research to shed light on the best interests of children with ASD following the separation of their parents.

中文翻译：

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家事法庭涉及自闭症谱系障碍儿童的司法决策

过去十年中，儿童和青少年中自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的患病率有所增加。因此，法院和专家更有可能接触到这些需求高度不同的儿童。本研究旨在记录有关自闭症谱系儿童的司法决策以及参与这些案件的专家提出的育儿建议。过去十年，魁北克省共审查了 104 项法院判决。结果显示，85.6% 的判决包括儿童监护权评估，法官更有可能向母亲下令提供初级护理（56%）。然而，在涉及自闭症儿童的纠纷中，也要求共同养育（27%）和对父亲进行初级照顾（17%）。双变量分析显示，父母监督和监督方面的挑战与法院下令的养育安排有关。本研究表明，与一般人群相比，儿童监护权评估和父亲监护权评估更常见。这项研究强调需要进一步研究，以阐明父母分居后患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童的最大利益。