Family-Based Practices to Promote Well-Being

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Behavioral Science
• Family Health

Background:

• Families with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant caregiving burdens.
• Parent and child well-being are critical for families navigating developmental and behavioral challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence-based interventions for families with children with IDD.
• To explore strategies promoting parenting skills, caregiver well-being, and reducing challenging child behaviors.
• To discuss the role of technology in intervention accessibility.

Main Methods:

• Review of evidence-based interventions presented at the 2019 AAIDD annual conference.
• Analysis of behavioral and mindfulness-based intervention strategies.
• Discussion of research gaps and future directions.

Main Results:

• Interventions effectively promote parenting skills and enhance caregiver well-being.
• Behavioral and mindfulness strategies can reduce challenging child behaviors.
• Technology offers potential for scaling up and increasing intervention accessibility.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based interventions are vital for supporting families with children with IDD.
• Behavioral and mindfulness approaches show promise in improving family well-being.
• Future research should focus on leveraging technology to broaden intervention reach.