Pilot study of a school-based parent training program for preschoolers with ASD

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ESCE) programs require effective parenting interventions for children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).
• Existing services may not adequately address the needs of families with young children diagnosed with ASD.
• Parenting training can enhance social-communication skills and reduce behavioral challenges in children with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a parenting training program for EI/ESCE settings.
• To evaluate the impact of the intervention on parenting strategies, child language development, social-communication skills, and parenting stress.
• To determine treatment acceptability, perceived effectiveness, and usability among parents and teachers.

Main Methods:

• A parenting training program was implemented by 13 teachers across three school districts with 27 students with ASD and their parents.
• Data collected included parent strategy use, child language rates during home interactions, social-communication skills, social impairment, and parenting stress.
• Intervention feasibility was assessed by completion rates, and treatment acceptability, effectiveness, and usability were rated by participants.

Main Results:

• 89% of families completed the program, indicating high feasibility in EI/ESCE settings.
• Parents showed improved strategy use, and children demonstrated increased language rates.
• Significant gains in child social-communication skills were reported by parents and teachers, with teachers noting reduced social impairment. Parents reported decreased parenting stress.

Conclusions:

• The parenting training program is feasible for implementation in public EI/ESCE settings.
• The intervention shows preliminary effectiveness in improving parent strategies, child language, social-communication skills, and reducing parenting stress.
• This program addresses a critical service gap for young children with ASD and their families.