Purpose: To explore the utilization of parent support groups for parents with children diagnosed with autism or other developmental disabilities. The research was a qualitative study exploring why individuals join parent support groups and their expectations of the group. Methods: The researchers utilized convenient sampling, as all participants were recruited from the Family Focus Resource Center offices located in Northridge and Santa Clarita. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 participants that attended a parent support group. The interview consisted of a total of 10 questions that pertained to the following areas: (1) motives and expectations and (2) demographics. Results: The results were consistent with previous research indicating that parents of children diagnosed with autism or other developmental disabilities join support groups for psychological support, tools to connect with their child, and educational support. There were six primary themes identified for all the parents in the study. Discussion: The findings in this study were congruent with the literature on the benefits of parents receiving social support and education, as well as positive changes within relationships in the family system.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

This book presents an international research-based framework that has empowered parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to become critical decision makers to actively guide their child’s learning and self-advocacy. Parents can use this framework to identify their child’s vision and dreams, and to work with educators and service providers to establish specific learning goals and to implement effective interventions and programs that enable their child to achieve those goals and realise their vision for the future. The book begins by reviewing available research on evidence-based practice for children with ASD and outlining the Cycle of Learning decision-making framework for parents and professionals. Throughout the remainder of the book, case studies are presented to illustrate the ways in which different parents have successfully utilised this framework to develop effective plans for their child and to advocate for learning and education programs for both their child and other children with ASD in school and community settings. In addition, it highlights concrete examples of how parents have used the framework to empower their children with ASD to develop their self-awareness and self-determination, and to be able to self-advocate as they move through adolescence and into adult life.

When a child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), what the family really need, and often lack, is positive reassurance and understanding from those closest to them. This book is packed with advice on how extended family members and friends can provide the necessary support. Explaining the diagnosis and characteristics of ASD, this helpful guide uses examples from real families to illustrate the complex feelings that parents and each member of the family are likely to go through after a child is diagnosed. It gives practical tips on help that might be needed most, details the possible changes that will take place as the family adjusts and concludes with a comprehensive guide to other useful sources of information. This book will help strengthen relationships between parents and their extended family and friends, enabling a reliable support system to develop which will remain crucial to the child throughout their life.

Supporting Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities: Evidence-based and Emerging Practices provides a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence on interventions for families of individuals - ranging from post-preschool age to adulthood - with developmental disabilities. The book presents both narrative and meta-analytic syntheses of a large body of research to evaluate which interventions meet contemporary standards as evidence based practices. The body of studies reviewed in the book has not previously been gathered into one volume, nor evaluated as a whole for the quality and extent of the evidence. The research is presented in the context of contemporary social policy and practices aimed at maximizing the development of children with disabilities while increasing the quality of life of their families. The criteria and procedures followed for identifying, reviewing, evaluating, and categorizing the studies are articulated in line with other major professional standards. Individual chapters focus on several different schools of practice, including: group psycho-educational interventions, behavioral parent training, multiple component interventions, supportive interventions for families of children with autism, home- and school-based practices, self-help groups, and advocacy programs. Supporting Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities is an important tool for moving the disability field forward for future research, practice, and social policy.

In this comprehensive book, you'll learn how to develop and maintain a strong local Parent to Parent program that individually matches "veteran" supporting parents with those who are new to the challenges of caring for a child with a disability.

Ready-to-implement resources and approaches for effective professional care in school and clinical settings. The reverberations of autism spectrum disorders among parents and siblings can be complex. Parents may grapple with the impact of their child's initial diagnosis, wrestle with the tension between their professional ambitions and family obligations, and labor to maintain a healthy union with their partners. Brothers and sisters may be given less attention, asked to assume a more adult role than they feel ready for, or strive for meaningful connection and communication with their sibling and parents. Although the energy of clinicians, teachers, and other professionals working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder is often focused intensively on the child who is diagnosed, the practitioner can also be an invaluable resource for the child's family. Drawing upon clinical research and firsthand family interviews, this book helps clinicians understand the experiences of parents and siblings of a child with ASD from the time of diagnosis through adulthood. It provides clear recommendations for sensitive, informed professional support. Step-by-step in each chapter, Fiske elucidates such vital subjects as: Understanding the experience of diagnosis Recognizing patterns of parent stress over time Appreciating and navigating the effects of ASD on relationships between parents Involving and providing support for siblings Integrating grandparents and other extended family in care and treatment Understanding a family's culture Identifying and developing effective coping strategies Building a strong rapport with parents and family Guiding parents in the treatment of autism And many more, including key takeaways for assisting families in managing feelings of grief and guilt, navigating support options, treatment resources, and related financial concerns, and calibrating the division of labor in the home. Autism and the Family supplies all the foundations necessary for professionals to understand the full impact of ASD on the child, siblings, and parents and cultivate an empathic, supportive approach to treatment for the entire family.