Riding the rapids: living with autism or disability--an evaluation of a parenting support intervention for parents of disabled children.
Group parent training reliably lowers parent stress and child problem behavior for autism and mixed disabilities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Stuttard et al. (2014) tested a six-week group program called Riding the Rapids. Parents of children with autism or other disabilities met together to learn behavior strategies.
The team used a before-and-after design. They measured parent stress, child problem behavior, and parenting confidence at start, end, and six months later.
What they found
Parents reported fewer behavior problems right after the group. Gains held steady six months later.
Parents also felt more confident and less stressed. The group format cut costs and built peer support.
How this fits with other research
Breider et al. (2024) later ran a stronger RCT in the same type of clinic. Face-to-face parent training again beat wait-list, updating the evidence.
Burrell et al. (2025) pooled nine RCTs in a meta-analysis. The review confirms parent training cuts parent-rated disruptive behavior and lowers stress.
Bello-Mojeed et al. (2016) took the group model to Nigeria. A brief five-session version still reduced aggression and self-injury, showing the idea travels.
Why it matters
You can run Riding the Rapids as a low-cost group in your clinic. Six weekly two-hour sessions cover prevention, reinforcement, and coping skills. Parents leave with a plan and a support network. Start with a brief intake, then cohort groups of six to eight families. Track parent stress and behavior logs to show progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to support parents of disabled children to manage their child's behaviour problems is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate a group-delivered intervention (Riding the Rapids) which was specifically developed for parents of a child with a disability or autistic spectrum condition. This programme has been routinely delivered by a community-based mental health team across an urban, multi-ethnic locality for a number of years. A non-randomised controlled study design comprising an intervention group (n=48) and comparator (no intervention) group (n=28) was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on child behaviour (Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory; parent-set goals) and parenting efficacy and satisfaction (Parents Sense of Competence Scale) at post-intervention and six-month follow-up. Data on costs to the service provider of delivering the intervention were also collected. Receipt of the intervention was associated with significant reductions in parent-reported behaviour problems and significant improvements in parenting efficacy and satisfaction. At six-month follow-up, progress towards achieving parent-set child behaviour goals and parenting satisfaction had been maintained. Post hoc analysis suggests parents who do not have English as a first language may not benefit as much as other parents from this intervention. Findings suggest this is a promising intervention for parents of a child with a disability that is likely to be less resource intensive to service providers than individually delivered interventions. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.05.021