First Parent-Mediated Intervention Using Project ImPACT in Zambia: Caregiver Satisfaction and Children’s Developmental Changes

• In Event: 3-245 - Atypical Child Development in Zambia, Africa: Parent-Mediated Intervention, Graduate Student Training and Community Stigma

Integrative Statement

Parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) are an effective delivery method of early intervention whereby parents are trained and empowered to use strategies to address developmental and social skills of children with atypcial development (Kasari et al., 2010; Ingersoll & Wainer, 2013). Given that PMIs train parents as the key interventionists, PMIs have shown various benefits such as increased hours of intervention for children (Vismara, Colombi & Rogers, 2009), increased positive parent-child interactions (McConachie, 2005) and improved development in children (Siller, 2008). This study is the first to implement a parent-mediated intervention (i.e., Project ImPACT) in Zambia for children with atypical development (e.g., autism, Down syndrome).

With two cohorts consisting of 19 participants total (n = 11 mothers, 1 father, 4 grandmothers, and 3 teachers), each caregiver attended 4 consecutive days of intervention training sessions for an average of 16.75 hours total. The intervention trainings were lead by trained implementers (Universities psychology faculty), and they interactively taught intervention strategies from Project ImPACT (a social-communication intervention curriculum; Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2010). Additionally, caregiver-child video play samples were collected from the caregivers, which captured implementation of the learned intervention strategies with their children in their natural environments. Based on the submitted play videos, caregivers were provided feedback and coaching from the primary implementer. While data collection of play videos is currently ongoing, preliminary results show the PMI in Zambia was effective based on: 1) self-report caregiver satisfaction measured by the Parent Satisfaction Survey (PSS; Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2010) and 2) the children's developmental improvement measured by the Social Communication Checklist (SCC; Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2010).

According to the PSS at the end of intervention, 100% of caregiver respondents agreed they understood how to use the intervention strategies to address their children’s goals and to implement the strategies at home. After only 4 days of intervention training, 68% of caregivers agreed they saw improvement in their children’s social engagement skills, 53% in their children’s language skills, 74% in their children’s imitation skills and 63% agreed they saw improvement in their children’s play skills. Lastly, 100% of caregiver respondents agreed they would recommend this program to others – suggesting it was culturally applicable – and reported it as highly informative. According to the SCC, children’s play skills trended toward significant change from the start to end of the intervention, specifically with their pretend play skills directed toward self [t(35) = 1.882, p = .068] and pretend play skills directed toward others [t(33) = 1.709, p = .097].

This study highlights initial findings from the first parent-mediated intervention conducted in Zambia. To date, exact estimates of African children, yet alone Zambians, with developmental challenges remain unknown (Elsabbagh et al., 2012), and there are limited early intervention resources for these children and their families (Bakare & Munir, 2011). Provided the many PMI benefits, it is important to continue such implementations to meet the grand needs in Zambia and sustain intervention services. Therefore, this study is monumental by evidencing caregiver satisfaction and improved child development during the first parent-mediated intervention in Zambia.

Authors

• Jillian Pierucci, St. Mary’s University
  Presenting Author

• Alexandra Pearson, University of Houston-Clear Lake
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gabriela Aquino, St. Mary's University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Monica Perez, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sylvia Mwanza-Kabaghe, The University of Zambia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Francis Sichimba, The University of Zambia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Haatembo Mooya, The University of Zambia
  Non-Presenting Author