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

Thesis (MTchLn)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-109). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Behaviors related to joint attention have been described by behavior analysts and developmental psychologists alike as having a distinctly social function. Children with autism often do not emit these behaviors. Research on the collateral effects of teaching joint attention suggests far reaching consequences. Given the reported benefits of using these behaviors, and the theoretical descriptions of their function, we assessed joint attention as a collateral effect of a naturalistic parent training program. Data suggest that although these behaviors were not directly targeted, they increased in all 3 children. Implications of parent training goals and child intervention targets are discussed in terms of a behavior analysis of joint attention and child development.

Social deficits are one of the defining symptoms of autism spectrum disorder and affect a child’s ability to build relationships with others. These deficits put children with autism at a disadvantage when most of their world is focused on building connections with others – family, friendships, and community ties. Sunny Starts, a service-learning project, was created to specifically meet the needs of families with young toddlers with autism. The primary focus of Sunny Starts is to enhance the quality of the parent-child relationship by teaching parents a basic teaching interaction and to arrange the child’s environment in ways that are mutually reinforcing. The purpose of this experiment is to study the effects of the Sunny Starts DANCE training package, a responsive parent training program, on three levels of parent and child behaviors: 1) teaching episodes, 2) turn taking, social attending, vocal requests, and 3) synchronous engagement. Participants included two parent-child dyads. Parent training included 5-minute video assessments, video review, descriptions, rationales, modeling, practice, and feedback. The effects of the parent training were evaluated using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants. Results indicate parent teaching episodes and child behaviors (turn taking, social attending, and verbal requests) increased during the intervention phase. The duration of parent-child synchronous engagement maintained at high levels and slightly increased.

With a dramatic increase in the prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those with high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome, educators are challenged to meet the educational needs of a complex and widely diverse group of exceptional learners. The focus of this research was to gain insight into the experiences of the graduated student with autism and his/her parent(s) during the student's time in public school. This study had three research questions: 1) What were the lived experiences of students with ASD who graduated from an urban public high school in the southeast United States?; 2) What were the lived experiences of the parents of the graduated students with ASD?; and, 3) Were there common themes between the graduated students' lived experiences and the parent's lived experiences? Five graduated students and their parents were interviewed in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Explicitation of the interview data identified three themes for the graduated student group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; and, c) involvement in their educational process. Four themes were present in the parent group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; c) establishment of a relationship with the school; and, d) preparation for post-secondary experiences. The graduated student group agreed with the parent group on 16 of the 20 interview questions. Responses for each graduated student were compared to the responses of his/her own parent(s). Recommendations were made for future research.

No description available.

The motivation of the study was to explore the problems of families in South Africa who struggle to manage their children with autism and to find out whether they were receiving appropriate assistance. This was done by assessing the needs of the parents of children with autism by means of semi-structured interviews. Through these interviews, the parents were given the opportunity to express what information or recommendations they would like to have available to them. How the parents view their experience, their feelings about these experiences, and the strategies and actions that they take in order to cope with raising their child with autism, is important information. The aim of the study was to explore the problems South African families have so that this may form the base of information supplied to professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and educators thereby assisting in improving service delivery to parents of children with autism. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The primary aim of this study was to identify the characteristics and resources that families possess that enable them to adapt successfully, and as such, be resilient despite the presence of an autistic child in the family. The study was rooted within the contextual framework of the Resilience Model of Adjustment and Adaptation of McCubbin, Thompson and McCubbin (1996). Self-report questionnaires were completed by the parents of 34 families whose children attend either the Alpha School for Autistic Learners, the Vera School for Autistic Learners, or the Special Needs Adapted Programme. The self-report questionnaires were based on the Resilience Model of Adjustment and Adaptation. In addition, families were required to complete a biographical questionnaire and an open-ended question relating to their experience of factors relating to adaptation. The results pointed towards the importance of resilience factors in adaptation. The most significant resilience factors identified in this study include higher socioeconomic status; social support; open and predictable patterns of communication; supportive family environment, including commitment and flexibility; family hardiness; internal and external coping strategies; a positive outlook; and family belief systems. The clinical utility of the study in facilitating adaptation lies in its ability to provide parents with confirmation of the value of their efforts to improve the quality of life of their autistic child, as well as the family, and in providing all those involved in helping the autistic child, albeit parents or professionals, with insight into ways of creating a family environment, which will enhance the well-being of the autistic child, without detriment to the total family system. Family resilience theory provides a relevant framework within which the process of adapting to an autistic child can be considered. By applying these theories to their specific crisis situation, families of autistic children can work towards identifying, as well as implementing those factors which will lead to better adaptation, and thus increased resilience.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-45).

The motivation of the study was to explore the problems of families in South Africa who struggle to manage their children with autism and to find out whether they were receiving appropriate assistance. This was done by assessing the needs of the parents of children with autism by means of semi-structured interviews. Through these interviews, the parents were given the opportunity to express what information or recommendations they would like to have available to them. How the parents view their experience, their feelings about these experiences, and the strategies and actions that they take in order to cope with raising their child with autism, is important information. The aim of the study was to explore the problems South African families have so that this may form the base of information supplied to professionals such as psychologists, social workers, and educators thereby assisting in improving service delivery to parents of children with autism. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)