Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2004. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-134).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 101 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-78). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Filial therapy, originally developed by Bernard Guerney (1964), is a form of parent child therapy utilizing child-centered skills and limit setting strategies to improve the parent child relationship and to increase positive child behaviors. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), developed by Sheila Eyberg (1988), is an empirically supported treatment for improving parenting skills and decreasing negative externalizing behavior with children. Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), developed by Garry Landreth (2002), is an up and coming form of Filial therapy, supported in the literature for improving the parent child relationship and improving the child’s general functioning. Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often present with deficits in their socialization and communication abilities. These deficiencies can cause strain on the parent child relationship because of the challenges inherent to the maladaptive interactions common among families with a child diagnosed with ASD. Therefore, there is a need for effective interventions to improve the functioning between the parent and child. However, a review of the literature discovered a lack of research using Filial therapy with children diagnosed with ASD and no research comparing different forms of Filial therapy. In order to better inform practitioners, the current study utilized qualitative analysis through a deconstructing evidence approach to examine the experience of four participants in either the PCIT or CPRT group. Participants completed pre and post assessments measuring changes in the parent child relationship and their child’s adaptive functioning. The counselors of the group also recorded the parents’ reactions to the group through their weekly progress notes. The results yielded little support for one approach over the other. One participant in the CPRT had a very successful experience overall, reporting improvement in the parent child relationship and her child’s adaptive functioning. Furthermore, the counselors recorded a more positive reaction from the parents in the CPRT group as compared to the largely neutral or negative reactions from the parents in the PCIT group. However, overall, the study concluded that more research is needed on identifying a clearly superior Filial therapy approach for children diagnosed with ASD. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Previous research has been interested in studying parental emotion socialization practices in parents of typically developing (TD) children. The current study aimed to explore such practices among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Seventy-eight families participated in this study. Self-reported rating scales were adopted to measure the child's social competence, parenting stress and maternal emotional styles. As hypothesized, results showed significantly different patterns in maternal emotional styles between mothers of children with ASD and those with TD children. However, inconsistent to our hypothesis, the maternal emotional styles were found to be neither related to child's social competence nor parenting stress within the ASD group. Implications of findings on future research and practice are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Behavior analysts have long recognized the need for direct and reliable measurement of complex behaviors that are important to society. Recently investigators have approached one of the singular most complex behaviors: happiness. Limited research, however, has explored happiness in parent-training programs with children with autism and their families. The current study applied the definitions and data systems used in Broome's 2007 study to obtain indices of happiness within a parent training program for parents of toddlers with autism. Direct measures of smiles and laughs were collected from videotaped assessments. Results suggest that the program increased behaviors associated with happiness. Results are discussed in terms of program development and future research.

This study examined the effects of a support group for parents of autistic children on the parents' reported stress levels.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education