The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between maternal psychological well‐being and behavior problems in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is bidirectional. Data were available at 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years old for 132 children with ASD, identified from a population‐representative sample of UK children. Three‐wave cross‐lagged models examined reciprocal effects between child behavior and maternal well‐being (psychological distress, physical health functioning, and life satisfaction). Results indicated that the relationships between maternal well‐being and child problem behaviors were not bidirectional. Specifically, findings suggested that while early behavior problems are not a risk factor for later maternal well‐being, maternal psychological distress, physical health limitations, and lower life satisfaction are risk factors for later child behavior problems. Autism Res 2013, 6: 201–211. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.