Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial.

LAY ABSTRACT: Parents of autistic children commonly experience difficulties with their own mental health. This study looked at the effects of a brief group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program, developed for parents of autistic children, youth, and adults. ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility, which is the ability to be mindful and accepting of difficult thoughts and experiences, shown to be important for mental wellness. Participants included 54 parents of autistic people, ages 3-34. Parents were randomly divided into two groups: a Treatment group that received the intervention right away, and a Waitlist group that completed the program after the Treatment group completed the trial. All parents filled out questionnaires right before the program began, and at 3, 7, and 17 weeks after randomization. Compared to the group that was waiting to participate in the program, parents in the Treatment group reported greater improvements in depression and family distress, and these improvements were still present 4 months later. Parents in the Treatment group also reported short-term improvements in their positive feelings and personal goals, compared to those waiting. Results showed that ACT may help improve some aspects of mental health for parents of autistic children, but further research is recommended.

Erratum: Publisher Correction to: A Telecommunication Model to Teach Facilitators to Deliver Acceptance and Commitment Training.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40617-021-00628-x.].

"This Is about My Health": Partnering with Patients and Families to Share Knowledge and Tools about Healthcare Communication for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

This project involved patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a family caregiver as advisors on a knowledge translation (KT) effort on healthcare communication. The project demonstrated that with the right supports, patient and family advisors can effectively share their experiences and add a powerful voice to KT activities. Lessons learned included the importance of being creative, responsive and flexible to support the advisors, of recognizing their expertise and of building capacity in multiple advisors to allow for diverse voices and greater flexibility. This work requires adequate time and funding, which needs to be factored into planning.

A Telecommunication Model to Teach Facilitators to Deliver Acceptance and Commitment Training.

Providing mediator training using a telecommunication format increases access to training by reducing geographical and financial barriers, while maintaining or increasing efficiency. Limited research has implemented this format to train facilitators in acceptance and commitment training (ACT), an empirically supported intervention. The aim of this research was to examine the efficacy of behavioural skills training via telecommunication for training novice facilitators to provide ACT to caregivers of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This two-part study involved concurrent multiple-baseline designs, each across 4 participants. Quantitative data on fidelity and confidence were collected at baseline, post-training, and at 1-month follow-up. The results from this study provide preliminary support for the use of behavioural skills training via telecommunication to train ACT facilitators. Increasing the number of competently trained facilitators will help build capacity to increase access to ACT across geographical regions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-021-00628-x.

ACT Processes in Group Intervention for Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Few studies have examined interventions or therapeutic processes that may help parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) manage their stress. This study examines the impact of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group intervention, led by parents, among a cohort of 33 mothers of children with ASD. Changes in ACT process measures (psychological flexibility, cognitive fusion, values) were evaluated at pre, post, and 3 months following the intervention. Mothers reported significant improvement post-intervention in psychological flexibility, cognitive fusion, and value-consistent activities in multiple life domains, including parenting, relationships, and self-care. These improvements were maintained at follow-up. The results provide preliminary evidence that improvements observed in depression and stress may be mediated by cognitive fusion and action-values consistency.

Evaluation of an information resource for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study sought to evaluate a newly created information resource book for parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder entitled Autism Spectrum Disorder: Information for Parents. A purposive sample of 13 participants (comprised of mothers of children with ASD and ASD service providers) participated in 1 of 3 focus groups. Focus group participants provided their feedback regarding the accessibility, usefulness, content accuracy and tone of the resource book. Findings reveal that concise yet comprehensive and hopeful information targeted to parents at diagnosis, has been lacking in ASD practice. This supportive informational resource book addresses this gap in supporting family adaptation and mobilization at the key juncture of diagnosis. Suggestions for resource refinement and future development of similar diagnostic-related literature to support families of newly-diagnosed children are outlined.