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The Impact of Parent-Delivered Intervention on Parents of Very Young Children with Autism

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Abstract

This study investigated the impact of a parent-coaching intervention based on the Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) on parenting-related stress and sense of competence. This was part of a multisite, randomized trial comparing P-ESDM (n = 49) with community intervention (n = 49) for children aged 12 and 24 months. The P-ESDM group reported no increase in parenting stress, whereas the Community group experienced an increase over the same 3-month period. Parental sense of competence did not differ. Number of negative life events was a significant predictor of parenting stress and sense of competence across both groups. This suggests that a parent-coaching intervention may help maintain parental adjustment directly after a child is diagnosed with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the parents, caregivers, and children who participated in this study. This research was supported by Grants from the National Institute of Health (MH81757) and Autism Speaks (1720).

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Author notes

  1. Lauren Elder

    Present address: Autism Speaks, New York, NY, USA

  2. Catherine Lord

    Present address: New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Box 357920, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Annette Estes, Jessica Greenson & Jamie Winter

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Annette Estes & Lauren Elder

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Laurie Vismara, Gregory Young & Sally Rogers

  4. Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Carla Mercado & Annette Fitzpatrick

  5. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Catherine Lord

  6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jeffrey Munson

  7. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Geraldine Dawson

  8. Autism Speaks, New York, NY, USA

    Geraldine Dawson

  9. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Catherine Lord

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  1. Annette Estes
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  11. Geraldine Dawson
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  12. Sally Rogers
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Correspondence to Annette Estes.

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Estes, A., Vismara, L., Mercado, C. et al. The Impact of Parent-Delivered Intervention on Parents of Very Young Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 353–365 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1874-z

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