Potential for children with intellectual disability to engage in cognitive behaviour therapy: the parent perspective.
Most parents of school-age kids with ID say CBT is doable if you swap big words for visuals and keep parents in the loop.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 76 parents of kids with intellectual disability one big question.
Can your child take part in cognitive behavior therapy?
Parents filled out a short survey during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Most kids were 8-14 years old and had mild to moderate ID.
What they found
Seventy-six percent said yes, CBT can work if we tweak it.
Parents wanted shorter words, pictures, and breaks.
They also wanted to sit in on sessions or get quick updates.
Only a few thought their child could not join at all.
How this fits with other research
Anthony et al. (2020) ran real CBT with autistic kids the same age.
They proved that simple language and visuals boost emotion-regulation gains.
Mulder et al. (2020) now show parents of kids with ID expect those same tweaks.
Guertin et al. (2019) went further and delivered exposure therapy to a young learners with ID.
The child’s OCD behaviors dropped and peer play rose, showing adapted therapy can work.
Together the three papers form a ladder: parents believe it works, clinicians show it works, and single-case data prove it works.
Why it matters
You no longer need to gatekeep CBT for kids with ID.
Start with picture cue cards, 5-minute turns, and parent coaching.
If the child has verbal skills and you address any pain complaints first, gains are likely.
Use the parent wish list from Mulder et al. (2020) as your checklist and you are ready for Monday.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to obtain the opinions of parents and carers of children with intellectual disability (ID) as to whether cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) could be useful for their children. METHODS: A mixed qualitative and quantitative method was employed. Twenty-one carers of children aged 10 to 17 having borderline to moderate intellectual functioning responded to an online questionnaire. Participants were provided with information about CBT and asked to respond to open-ended questions. Quantitative data pertained to questions about their child's ability to identify and describe thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Thematic analysis of responses was conducted using an inductive method of identifying themes from the qualitative data collected. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: Emotional Attunement (i.e. parent's understanding and recognition of their child's emotions), Role of the Therapist (i.e. ways therapists could facilitate the intervention), Role of the Parent (i.e. ways parents could engage in the therapy process), Anticipated Obstacles (i.e. what may get in the way of the therapy) and Suggested Adaptations for Therapy (i.e. how CBT can be adapted to suit the needs of children with ID). Seventy-six per cent agreed that their child would be able to engage in CBT with assistance. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of parents believed that CBT is an intervention that children with ID could engage in, provided the therapy is adapted, and the therapist accommodates their needs.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2020 · doi:10.1111/jir.12694