Cultural adaptation of an intervention for caregivers of young autistic children: Community members' perspectives.

Caregivers of autistic children in low-to-middle-income countries experience many barriers to access resources to support their child's development. Caregiver training is considered an evidence-based practice and may be a cost-effective way to support caregivers of autistic children in such settings. This study focuses on the cultural adaptation of Parents Taking Action (PTA; Magaña et al., Family Process, 56, 57-74, 2017) to support caregivers of autistic children in Paraguay. We conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 28 caregivers, autistic individuals, and professionals in Paraguay to understand caregivers' needs and to explore needed cultural adaptations of PTA to achieve contextual fit. Participants identified caregivers' need for accurate and reliable information, strategies to support children's growth, and emotional support and strategies to manage stress. Additionally, participants provided recommendations for adapting PTA considering the dimensions within the Cultural Adaptation Checklist (Lee et al., International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2023). This study is the first step in the iterative process of culturally adapting an intervention and the process described in this study may be appropriate for culturally adapting other interventions.

Brief report: Evaluation of an adapted youth version of Parents Taking Action for parents of pre/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in Colombia.

LAY ABSTRACT: We evaluated the efficacy of the youth version of the program Parents Taking Action in Bogota, Colombia. This program aims to provide information, resources, and strategies about topics of puberty, sexuality, and adolescence for parents of preadolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We examined whether parents in the treatment groups would improve in levels of knowledge, empowerment, self-efficacy, and use of strategies compared to the control group. We recruited two groups of Colombian parents of pre/adolescent with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 10 and 17 in the city of Bogota, Colombia, through a community-based organization. One of the groups received the intervention and the other served as a control group. Parents in the control group received the intervention after the 4-month follow-up. The intervention included four 3-h weekly sessions in which the curriculum with nine topic areas was delivered providing parents with a space to practice strategies, learn from others, and set goals. Parents in the intervention group reported significantly greater knowledge, self-efficacy, use of strategies, and empowerment compared to the control/waitlist group. Parents were also highly satisfied with the content, materials, and peer connections that the program offered. The program has potential for high impact as information is scarce and parents do not have resources related to the complicated developmental stages of pre/adolescence. The program shows promise as an efficacious tool for community organizations and health providers to provide extra support to families of youth with autism spectrum disorder.