Evaluation of a parent support programme for parents with children diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder : positive parenting with mindful self-compassion, gratitude practice and emotion coaching skills

Abstract

The present study collaborated with the Hong Chi Association, which specialised in providing education and rehabilitation services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). It aimed to evaluate the parent support programme designed and conducted by the educational psychologists at the Hong Chi Association. The programme integrated four key components: (1) Emotion Coaching, (2) Positive Parenting Skills, (3) Mindfulness and Self-Compassion, and (4) Expansion of Communication Channels (CRAFT Model). A mixed research method was used to assess the programme's effectiveness, including quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured focus group interviews. The study recruited parents of school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disabilities (ID) from four participating special schools run by the Hong Chi Association. Participants were assigned to either the intervention group (n = 11) or the waitlist control group (n = 7). They were asked to complete the General Health Questionnaire- 12, the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form, the Parental Stress Index-Short Form, the Emotion-Related Parenting Style, and the Emotion Regulation Checklist. For the intervention group, the outcomes were measured before the programme (Time 1) and immediately after the completion of the 7-session programme (Time 2). The wait-list control group completed the questionnaires similar to the intervention group at Time 1 and Time 2, as well as Time 3 when the wait-list control group completed the last training session. Focus group interviews were arranged for the participants and the educational psychologists who carried out the training upon the programme’s completion. While the quantitative measures of the intervention group were not statistically significant, there was a significant reduction in parental stress related to parental distress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction in the wait-list control group. This may be a result of the higher educational attainment in the wait-list control group. In addition, the focus group interviews revealed positive changes for the participating parents. They reported applying more emotion coaching and positive parenting skills, increased self-compassion and mindful parenting, and improvements in their children's emotion regulation and parent-child relationships. Overall, the study provided evidence for the feasibility and potential effectiveness of the parent support programme for Chinese parents of children with ASD and ID in Hong Kong special schools. It also highlighted the importance of family factors in the socialization of children’s emotion regulation.