Experience and outcomes of stepping stones triple P for families of children with autism.
Stepping Stones Triple P quickly makes parents feel skilled and less needy of extra services.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Byers et al. (2013) followed families who finished the standard Stepping Stones Triple P course.
Parents answered surveys and talked about how they felt after the training.
The study is a small case series, not a big experiment.
What they found
Moms and dads said, "I can handle my child’s behavior better now."
They also felt less need to call doctors or therapists for extra help.
Parents told stories of calmer bedtimes and fewer public meltdowns.
How this fits with other research
Schrott et al. (2019) ran a similar program in group format and saw the same boost in self-efficacy.
Patterson et al. (2012) reviewed eleven tiny studies and found parent training helps right away, but skills can fade if coaches stop visiting.
Estes et al. (2014) tested a different program and saw stress stay flat, while Sandra’s parents felt stress drop—different tools, same calm result.
Why it matters
You can offer Stepping Stones Triple P as a first step for autism families.
Parents leave feeling capable, so they request fewer crisis visits later.
Pair the course with brief follow-up calls to keep the gains alive.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study investigated the experience and perceived outcomes of a behavioural family intervention, standard stepping stones triple P (SSTP), for parents of children with autism. An indepth, prospective, mixed-methods, multiple case-study design was employed. Parent participants and SSTP practitioners took part. Participation in SSTP was consistently associated with improved parental self-efficacy, and was also associated with improved parental psychological well-being and decreased perceived need for behavioural services for some families. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative interview data, reflecting changes attributed to participation in SSTP: (1) changes in the "attribution of cause" of misbehaviour, (2) "Who's the boss?" reflecting a change to parents feeling more in charge of their child's behaviour, daily routines and choices, and (3) "Rewarding is rewarding!" reflecting appreciation of a positive approach to behaviour management. Practitioners discussed their impressions of appropriate participants, timing, structure, and session preferences for SSTP, and implications related to the professional qualifications of practitioners delivering SSTP. Clinical implications for the use of SSTP with families of children with autism are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.05.005