POSITIVE FAMILY INTERVENTION FOR A SPANISH-SPEAKING FAMILY OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM: IMPACT ON CHILD’S BEHAVIORS AND PARENTAL COGNITIONS AND STRESS

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of a culturally and linguistically adapted Positive Family Intervention (PFI) on child behavior as well as parental stress and beliefs for a Spanish-speaking family of a child with autism. PFI combines Positive Behavior Support (PBS) to teach parents the skills to manage their child’s behavioral challenges with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help parents manage their own thoughts and feelings. An AB single-case design was used to examine the impact of PFI on directly observed child behavioral challenges and adaptive behavior. Further, parent-reported stress, parental attributions, and parent-reported child behavioral challenges were examined pre- and post-intervention. The parents received eight weekly 90-minute PFI sessions, delivered in Spanish and culturally adapted. Results demonstrated a decrease in observed child challenging behavior and an increase in adaptive behavior during the targeted routine in the intervention phase compared to baseline. On the parent-report scales, the father reported lower levels of stress on the Parenting Stress Index and a change in attributions on the Parent Attribution Questionnaire. However, parent-report on the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised suggested that, in general, challenging behaviors outside of the targeted routine continue to be a concern. Lastly, the parent reported having a greater understanding of his child\u27s behavior, a greater ability to implement strategies, and feeling more optimistic about his child\u27s future