Poster #10 - Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Parent Meta-Emotion Philosophy With Parent Training of Autism

• In Event: Poster Session 16

Abstract

Background: Current treatments for parents with children who have autism include respite care, individual, marital, or family counseling, and ASD support groups. Although these options may be helpful, they do not foster a connection between parent and child. With ACT and PMEP parent coaching the goal is to increase psychological and emotional flexibility in parents while building the parent-child relationship. There is a practical component of working through situations as dyads with the training and support of parent coaching.

Objectives: Through a virtual parent coaching experience featuring ACT and/or PMEP, effective parent coaching skills were implemented during intervention. We anticipated reductions in child negative behavior across intervention groups when compared to control group.

Methods: Our sample consisted of 51 mothers representing 12 US states. All had a least one autistic child between the ages of 2-5 years, for whom they were the primary caregiver (7 participants had 2 children who fit this criteria). Participants were recruited through social media (Twitter, Facebook), and flyers distributed through local autism agencies. All interactions with participants were remote.

After 2 weeks of baseline data collection, mothers were randomly assigned to groups 1, 2, 3 or 4. Group 1 participated in all intervention conditions (ACT, PMEP, and Reading). Group 2 participated in ACT and Reading. Group 3 participated in PMEP and Reading. Group 4, our control group, participated in Reading only.

The live 4-session ACT parent group training occurred virtually for approximately 60 minutes, weekly during the intervention period (totaling 4 hours group training). The live 4-session PMEP parent group training occurred virtually for approximately 60 minutes during the intervention period (totaling 4 hours group training). Further implementation of ACT and PMEP was employed through parent led, shared reading of widely available psychological flexibility or emotion themed children’s books. Mother assessments occurred prior, during, and following treatment.

Results: Participants in Group 1 (combined) experienced a significant reduction in child negative behavior when compared to the control group (Weekly Assessment of Child Behavior-N). These significant reductions were not observed in the other intervention groups.

Conclusions: This novel design intervention was successful in identifying solutions for mothers and their autistic children through ACT and PMEP in a virtual training model. Our findings show that the combination of psychological flexibility with emotion coaching was superior to either intervention alone. It is thought that compatibility of these two interventions should be researched furthers for maximum improvements in parent mediated benefits to child maladaptive behaviors.

Authors

• Dakin F. Stovall, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author

• Joshua M. Lewis, Brigham Young University

• Blake Hansen, Brigham Young University