New research led by Dr Cherie Green has challenged existing assumptions about the benefits of parent-mediated support for Autistic children.
“There are a range of support programs available for Autistic children, which are usually delivered by trained therapists,” she explains.
“However, we are seeing an increasing number of parent-mediated programs, where parents directly support their child under the guidance of a therapist whose attention is focused on the parent. It has been suggested that this approach has a positive impact on a parent’s mental health and wellbeing.”
While there is evidence that therapist-delivered support can improve child outcomes, there is less information available about the benefits of parent-mediated support for both parents and children.
To address this gap, the research team conducted a study that examined how various types of early support programs available in the local community affected outcomes for Autistic children and their parents.
They found that, over time, children made significant gains in their cognitive and adaptive skills across the range of therapist-delivered support they received.
“Regarding the parent-mediated support we didn't find any evidence that this was associated with an improvement in parental mental health, wellbeing or sense of competence.”
“Rather, we observed an increase in parenting-related stress over time for parents as a group, regardless of the type of intervention they or their children were receiving. This challenges existing assumptions about the mental health benefits of parent-mediated support.”
Nevertheless, Dr Green sees this as an encouraging message for parents.
“This is good news for parents who may desire but not have access to autism-specific models of support. Our findings suggest that making use of local and affordable programs as an accessible approach for families.”
