Autism
Conditions
Keywords
Parental Resilience, Parental Stress, Family Adaptation, Autistic Disorder, Behavior, Child Behavior, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Developmental Disabilities, Caregivers, Parents, Parenting, Primary Health Care
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of Primary Care Stepping Stones Triple P (PC-SS Triple P), an empirically supported parent mediated intervention, to improve the behavioral functioning of children newly diagnosed with Autism (aged 2-12 years), increase parental resilience and decrease parental stress.
Detailed description
Research literature exists on best practices for screening and diagnosing children with Autism. However, less is known about how to intervene with the child's parent. Across studies, relative to parents of children without disabilities, parents of children with Autism have reported higher levels of stress and lower levels of parenting competence. Such stress places children at risk for adverse developmental outcomes The proposed study aims to determine the effectiveness of Primary Care Stepping Stones Triple P (PC-SS Triple P), an empirically supported parent mediated intervention, to improve the behavioral functioning of children newly diagnosed with Autism (aged 2-12 years), increase parental resilience and decrease parental stress. The specific hypotheses include: 1. Children whose parents receive PC-SS Triple P will demonstrate significantly greater improvements in their behavioral functioning than children of parents receiving Wait-list Control (WLC) at service closure. 2. At service closure, parents receiving the PC-SS Triple P intervention will be more resilient and demonstrate lower levels of stress than parents in the Wait-List Control (WLC) condition. 3. Parenting resilience and levels of parental stress will be positively associated with improvements in child behavior. Seventy-six parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism will be randomized into one of two conditions: a) PC-SS Triple P (N=38) or b) Wait List Control (WLC; N=38). Study data will be collected with the assistance of a data collector appropriately trained in human subject rights protections. It is anticipated that the present project will assist in the development and use of evidence-based practices for working with parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism within pediatric settings.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPrimary Care Stepping Stones Triple P (PC-SS Triple P)
PC-SS Triple P is a parenting and family support strategy that aims to prevent and treat behavioral problems in children by enhancing parental resilience.
OTHERTreatment as Usual
Treatment as Usual for 4 weeks
Sponsors
St. Louis University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Parent inclusion criteria: * being at least 18 years of age Index child inclusion criteria: * receives a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM-V) diagnosis of Autism with mild or moderate severity within 12 months of study onset. * age is \> or equal to 24 months (2 years, 0 months) and \< or equal to 155 months old (12 years, 11 months).
Exclusion criteria
Parent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Measure conduct problem behavior in children between the ages of 2 and 16 years. |
| Change from Baseline in Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | General scale of resilience in adult populations with a bias towards coping with stress and adversity. |
| Change from Baseline in Parent Stress Index - Short Form Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Sources and different types of stress that every parent can experience. Provides information in 4 specific domains of parenting stress: 1. Parental Distress, 2. Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, 3. Difficult Child, and 4. Total Stress. |
| Change from Baseline in Family Assessment Device score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Assesses family functioning on six different dimensions: 1. Problem Solving (ability to resolve problems), 2. Communication (exchange of clear and direct verbal information), 3. Roles (division of responsibility for completing family tasks), 4. Affective Responsiveness (ability to respond with appropriate emotion), 5. Affective Involvement (degree to which family members are involved and interested in one another), and 6. Behavior Control (manner used to express and maintain standards of behavior). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in The Parenting Scale Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Measures dysfunctional discipline styles in parents by asking about the probability with which the parent uses particular discipline strategies. It yields four scores: 1. Total score, 2. Laxness (permissive, inconsistent discipline); 3. Over-reactivity (harsh, emotional, authoritarian discipline and irritability); and 4. Verbosity/Hostility (use of verbal or physical force). |
| Change from Baseline in the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Measures parents' sense of confidence and satisfaction with their parenting and their self-efficacy in the parenting role. |
| Change from Baseline in Aberrant Behavior Checklist Score at 4 weeks | Baseline and 4 weeks | Assesses behavior problems in individuals with developmental disabilities across 5 domains: 1. Irritability and Agitation (15 items) 2. Lethargy and Social Withdrawal (16 items) 3. Stereotypic Behavior (7 items) 4. Hyperactivity and Noncompliance (16 items) and 5. Inappropriate Speech (4 items). |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed