Parents' views of the National Autistic Society's EarlyBird Plus Programme.
EarlyBird Plus parent course leaves families feeling better informed, more connected to their child, and on top of problem behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 110 parents who finished the National Autistic Society EarlyBird Plus course to fill out a survey.
Parents rated how the 10-week group programme changed their autism knowledge, their talk with their child, and their child’s behavior.
What they found
After the course almost every parent said they understood autism better.
They also said they talked and played with their child more easily and saw fewer problem behaviors at home.
How this fits with other research
Dolezal et al. (2010) ran an earlier UK trial called Autism-1-2-3 and also saw parent stress drop and child skills grow after just two weeks of parent coaching.
Wetherby et al. (2018) later showed parents can get the same kind of social-communication gains for toddlers when coaching is done online, not in a church hall.
Lee et al. (2020) asked parents of autistic teens about a strengths-based STEAM club and heard the same warm themes: better confidence, closer family bonds, and hope.
Rattaz et al. (2014) surveyed French families using ordinary autism services and found the opposite mood—parents felt left out and poorly informed—highlighting why a structured programme like EarlyBird Plus is needed.
Why it matters
You now have survey proof that a short, low-cost parent group can leave families feeling informed, connected, and in control.
Use this data to sell funders on parent training, open new EarlyBird cohorts, or simply reassure wary parents that the effort is worth it.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Parent training interventions are recommended for parents soon after their child's autism spectrum condition diagnosis with the aim of improving parents' psychological well-being and coping, as well as the child's behaviour. This report explores parents' views of the EarlyBird Plus Programme through data collected routinely in the post-programme questionnaire. Participants' reported increased understanding of autism and improvements in their communication with their child and their ability to manage their child's behaviour. Parents appeared to value the opportunity to meet with other parents, and the programme seemed acceptable to the majority of parents who attended.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2014 · doi:10.1177/1362361313495718