Community-based Parent Education for Caregivers of Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report high levels of stress related to the process of receiving an ASD diagnosis and navigating the intervention landscape. Parent education programs offer one approach to providing families with support, information, and resources following a child's diagnosis. Given the heterogeneity of such programs, there have been calls within the literature for increased characterization and systematic evaluation of this type of parent-focused intervention. The present study describes the structure and content of a community-based, group-format parent education program for families of children newly diagnosed with ASD. Following program participation, parents reported reductions in parenting stress, increases in knowledge and empowerment, and high levels of satisfaction. Implications and future research directions are discussed.