Hi, this is Zeph coming to you from the UVM Autism Collaborative. We are about to go through study number five of five studies that we’re going to be talking about at the focus groups. And study number five is Transitioning Together Group Family Education. 

About this model: 

Group family education programs were first developed for parents of patients with other conditions like schizophrenia and mood disorders. Research looking at other conditions found group family education program supports transition to adulthood, better family relationships, increased social skills, and less symptoms of mental health conditions. 

Developing the program. 

The researchers asked parents of autistic teens about their interest in a group family education program. Parents talked about their needs in focus groups. They also talked about what kind of training they wanted. 

What parents needed: 

More local activities and inclusion help with problem solving issues training to learn how to advocate for their needs and activities for teens during parent training. 

About the study:

Transitioning Together Group Family Education Program. 

The study included 11 families with teenage autistic children. The teens were 15 to 18 years old. 

At the beginning of the program, each caregiver met two times with a facilitator. These visits were one-on-one. The goal was to get to know each other and set transition goals. 

Then caregivers met as a group with a facilitator. They met for eight group sessions to address different topics. The teens joined an activity group with other autistic teens. 

Topics addressed during the family training included:

• Aadult autism; 
• Transition planning; 
• Solving problems; 
• Family, home and behavior; 
• Being independent as an adult; 
• Being a part of a community;  
• Parent health and wellbeing; and 
• Legal issues. 

Outcomes. 

The program helped parents learn more about how their teens are different and about services available. 

• Families felt like their relationship was stronger. 
• Parents had more positive comments about their teens. They were more likely to share happy and proud feelings about their teen.
• Parents got better at knowing when their teen would have behavior problems. 
• There was no actual change in child behavior. There was no change in parent stress. 

Conclusions. 

The relationship between parent and child is important. It changes as a teenager becomes an adult. Group training for parent education is feasible. It can help during this time of transition. 

That’s it for study number five. You can use the link in email to confirm that you’re done with this module. 

References: 

Smith et. al, Adults with Autism: Outcomes, Family Effects and the Multi-Family Group Psychoeducation Model from current psychiatry Reports published in 2012.

Adapted Abstract

Background and Aims: There are few interventions to support families and autistic youth during the transition to adulthood. This study describes a multi-family group psychoeducation model to help families of autistic children through problems that occur during the transition to adulthood.

Methods and Results: In this 8-week program, 11 families of autistic children aged 15-18 years joined a multi-family meeting once a week for an hour and a half. They received information about different topics related to transition to adulthood. The outcomes measured after completing the program included (1) parental knowledge and empowerment, (2) parent–child relationship quality, (3) child behavior, and (4) parent stress in a pre- and post-intervention interview. Parent-child relationships improved as well as the parent understanding and knowledge of services available.

Conclusion and implication: This model can help support parent-child relationships throughout the transition to adulthood period. Increased knowledge about available services may help parents advocate for access to available services or programs.

Findings

• Improved parental understanding of adolescents’ differences
• Learned about available services.
• Improved quality of parent–child relationship.
• Parents were better able to predict problem behaviors in their adolescents.
• There was no change in child’s behavior or parental stress.

Summary

The curriculum in this multi-family group psychoeducation model was based on previous research in individuals with schizophrenia or mood disorders. The model was adapted based on findings from focus groups of families of autistic individuals. There was specific interest in community activities and connections, learning about solving common problems that autistics and families face during the transition years and training in advocacy. The program Transitioning Together was created to address these needs. The curriculum included transition planning, self-care, informational topics, and legal issues (trust and guardianship). This program has two stages. Initially, the family joins intervention staff and develops goals they want to achieve. Then, the multi-family group sessions occur weekly for eight weeks to talk about topics relevant to autism and activities for problem solving related to each family’s goals. Each session lasts one and half hours. The autistic individuals do not join the multi-family group sessions. Instead, they participate in a group where they play games and take part in learning activities like role playing, skits, cooking, and other hobbies.

The outcomes measured were parental knowledge and empowerment, parent-child relationship quality, child behavior, and parent stress. These outcomes came from a survey given at an exit interview. There were significant improvements in knowledge and relationships between parent and child. Parents also reported feeling as though they could better predict when their child would have a behavior problem then before the intervention.

Real-World Implications

This intervention is feasible for families of autistic youth and may support parent-child relationship which is an important aspect of transition to adulthood. Developing problem solving skills and knowledge of services available may help parents advocate for the needs of their children during the transition period. Parent advocacy networks and other organizations could provide similar education series to support families with the transition to adulthood.

Limitations

• No information was provided on whether the families goals were achieved.
• There were no outcomes directly reported by autistic youth.