Evaluation of an intervention system for parents of children with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour.
Phone-delivered parent training works as well as in-person groups for lowering stress and challenging behavior in families of children with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested three ways to give the Signposts parent-training program to 90 Australian families. Kids had intellectual disability plus behavior like hitting or screaming.
Parents got either group classes, phone coaching, or a self-guided book. All versions taught the same skills: plan activities, reward good behavior, and stay calm.
Researchers tracked parent stress, confidence, and child problem behavior for six months.
What they found
Phone coaching worked just as well as sitting in a classroom. Both cut parent stress and boosted confidence. Child behavior improved in all three groups.
The self-guided book helped too, but fewer parents finished it. No child-skill differences appeared between phone and group delivery.
How this fits with other research
Preston (1994) showed earlier behavioral parent training helps parents with ID, yet child gains were small. Eugenia Gras et al. (2003) moved the lens to parents of kids with ID and added phone delivery, keeping the same good parent results while also trimming child problem behavior.
Manohar et al. (2019) later trimmed even more: only five home visits in India still lowered parent stress and lifted toddler skills. Together the three studies form a line: each version gets shorter or more remote yet keeps the parent payoff.
Shepley et al. (2021) looks like a clash at first glance. Their brief outpatient ABA cut severe behavior in a large share of cases, but a large share of families quit before starting. Eugenia Gras et al. (2003) kept almost everyone engaged. The gap is setting: clinic demands travel and schedules; phone coaching meets parents on their couch.
Why it matters
You can drop the drive to clinic and still get strong results. Offer phone or video parent coaching as a first-line option. It saves travel time, fits rural families, and keeps no-shows low. Start with a brief intake call, mail the Signposts handouts, then coach live while the parent tries the strategy at home. Track stress with a five-question scale every two weeks; if numbers don’t fall by session four, add a home visit or boost reinforcement.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Signposts is a flexible intervention system for families of children who have intellectual disability and challenging behaviour. The Signposts materials include eight information booklets, a workbook and videotape for parents, and a series of instructional manuals for therapists. The system was designed so that it can be delivered in several different ways, i.e. group support, telephone support and self-directed modes. METHODS: The present study was an evaluation of these three modes of delivery and involved 115 families. RESULTS: Following the use of the Signposts materials in parent training programmes, the subjects reported that they were less stressed, felt more efficacious about managing their children's behaviour, were less hassled about meeting their own needs and that their children's behaviour had improved. Additionally, families generally reported high levels of satisfaction with the content and delivery of the materials. CONCLUSIONS: Finally, there were minimal differences among the three modes of delivery on the measures used, although families who used the self-directed mode were less likely to complete the materials. Implications of these results for service delivery are discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2003 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00486.x