The effects of a parent-focused intervention for children with a recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on parenting stress and competence

Abstract

This paper reports on the effects of two types of parent-focused intervention, for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 2-4 years and within 6 months of diagnosis, on parent's perceptions of stress and competence. Interventions aimed to decrease parenting stress and increase parenting competence by embedding empirically supported parenting strategies within family routines. Families were assigned to a professionally supported intervention that included a workshop and 10 home-visits (n = 17) or to a self-directed video based intervention (n = 22). Development in social communication was greater for children of families receiving professional support as measured by a caregiver questionnaire but not on a clinically measured behavior sample. Improvements in adaptive behavior were greater for children in the professionally supported intervention when relatively low adaptive behavior scores had been demonstrated at pre-intervention. The professionally supported intervention resulted in reduced child-related parenting stress and increased parenting self-efficacy relative to the self-directed intervention. The findings support the importance of providing individualized information and professional support around the time of diagnosis for families who have a child with ASD.