Supporting Parents of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The French Awakening.
French autism parent-training earns high parent satisfaction and attendance, matching good results from low-cost and teen-focused programs worldwide.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sankey et al. (2019) asked parents about three French autism parent-training programs.
They used a survey. Parents told how much they liked the classes and how often they came.
What they found
Parents said they were very happy with the training.
They also showed up to most sessions.
How this fits with other research
Garcia Torres et al. (2024) in Colombia got the same high satisfaction, but they added puberty topics for teens.
Strang et al. (2017) used cheap training videos in Brazil and still saw 70 % of parents stick with the plan.
Brandi Gomes Godoy et al. (2024) asked Brazilian families what felt culturally right, then tweaked the lessons.
All four studies find happy, engaged parents, no matter the country or format.
Why it matters
You can feel sure parents will like and attend training, even when you keep it short, low-cost, or culture-specific.
Use this confidence to start parent groups in your area.
Pick the style that fits your budget and families—live talks, videos, or short puberty classes—and expect strong turnout.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
After being wrongfully blamed for their child's disturbances, French parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now perceived as essential partners of care professionals. This shift in perspective has encouraged the development of parent training programs in the field of autism. In this paper, we present three programs currently implemented in France for parents of a child with ASD. We investigated their social validity, from the parents' perspective. All three programs showed good social validity: attendance rate was good and parents were satisfied. In France, like elsewhere, more parents should be given the opportunity to participate in such programs to help them deal with the specific challenges of raising a child with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3800-x