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Multi-family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) for Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This article describes the development and methodology of a novel psychosocial intervention for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Originally developed as an adjunctive treatment for children with mood disorders, Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) has been adapted for children with ASD (MF-PEP-ASD). Consisting of eight sessions, children with ASD and their parents receive psychoeducation and social support, and learn coping, problem-solving, communication, and symptom-management skills in separate and joint sessions. Core treatment components of MF-PEP-ASD include psychoeducation, social skills treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and parent training and involvement. Preliminary qualitative data from parent and child participants have indicated positive and promising findings. Continued evaluation of this treatment using comprehensive outcome and treatment fidelity measures is warranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, USA

    Sarah Connolly, Kathleen Cruse Grasser, Karen Tabern & Jacqueline Wynn

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, USA

    Sarah Connolly, Karen Tabern & Jacqueline Wynn

  3. Department of Child Psychiatry, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada

    Winnie Chung

  4. Behavior Education for Children with Autism, Torrance, USA

    Tracy Guiou

  5. Pathfinder Progress, Columbus, USA

    Tracy Guiou

  6. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

    Mary Fristad

  7. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, USA

    Mary Fristad

Authors
  1. Sarah Connolly
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  2. Kathleen Cruse Grasser
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  3. Winnie Chung
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  4. Karen Tabern
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  5. Tracy Guiou
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  6. Jacqueline Wynn
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  7. Mary Fristad
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Connolly.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Fristad receives royalties from Guilford Press, American Psychiatric Press, and Child & Family Psychological Services. She has received honoraria from Physicians Post-Graduate Press and research support from Janssen.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Connolly, S., Grasser, K.C., Chung, W. et al. Multi-family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) for Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Contemp Psychother 48, 115–121 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-018-9386-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-018-9386-y

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