2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-10
Title: Parent-Child Relational Outcomes Following Participation in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Andrea Maughan, Carly Albaum, Jonathan Weiss
Introduction: Parent involvement in child-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown to benefit children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; Sofronoff, Attwood & Hinton, 2005). There is evidence that parenting behaviours and aspects of
the parent-child relationship change following interventions for typically-developing children (Silverman et al., 2009). This
research has yet to be conducted with families of children with ASD. Given the significant role of the family dynamic in healthy
child development, it is critical to better understand how to promote strong parent-child relationships in these families. The
current study examined changes in parenting approaches and the parent-child relationship, following participation in CBT for
children with ASD.
Methods: Participants included 34 children with ASD (94.1% male), 8 to 12 years of age (M = 9.50, SD = 1.13), with at least
average IQ (M = 103.48, SD = 14.06, Range: 79-140) and their caregivers (76.5% female). Families were involved in an ongoing
randomized controlled trial targeting child emotion regulation. Data was collected one week prior to starting the intervention,
and one week following intervention completion. Parenting approaches were assessed using two self-report scales: 1) The
Parenting Scale (Arnold, O'Leary, Wolff, & Acker, 1993) examines negative parenting during discipline situations with subscales of
hostility, laxness and over-reactivity; and 2) the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Therapy Scale (Duncan, 2007), measures
approaches to mindful parenting, with subscales of awareness/attention, non-judgment and non-reactivity. The observer-coded
Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample (Benson et al., 2011) assesses the parent-child relationship using the following
criteria: frequency of critical/positive comments, warmth, emotional over-involvement, quality of relationship, and initial
statement. Child externalizing and internalizing problems were measured via parent report on the Behavior Assessment System
for Children, Second Edition (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004).
Results: After completing the intervention, there were significant improvements in non-judgment (t(32) = -2.23, p = .03) and
frequency of positive comments (t(13) = -2.53, p = .02), with AFMSS coding ongoing. Improvement in child internalizing
symptoms was correlated with improvement in parent hostility (r = .40, p = .03) and laxness (r = .46, p = .01). Improvement in
child externalizing symptoms was related to improvement in overall parenting approach (r = .42, p = .05). Improvement in child
emotional self-regulation was associated with improvement in parent laxness (r = .47, p = .01), overall parenting approach (r =
.55, p = .01), and non-judgment (r = .44, p = .01).
Discussion: Findings will be discussed in relation to the importance of the parent-child relationship in families of children with
ASD, and the effects of CBT on these relational outcomes.
References/Citations:
• Arnold, D. S., O'Leary, S. G., Wolff, L. S., & Acker, M. M. (1993). The Parenting Scale: A measure of dysfunctional
parenting in discipline situations. Psychological Assessment, 5, 137-144.
• Benson, P. R., Daley, D., Karlof, K. L., & Robison, D. (2011). Assessing expressed emotion in mothers of children with
autism: The autism-specific five-minute speech sample. Autism, 15(1), 65-82.
• Duncan, L. G. (2007). Assessment of mindful parenting among parents of early adolescents: Development and validation
of the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting scale. Unpublished dissertation.
• Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2).
Bloomington, MN: Pearson Assessments.
• Silverman, W. K., Kurtines, W. M., Jaccard, J., & Pina, A. A. (2009). Directionality of change in youth anxiety treatment
involving parents: An initial examination. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 474-485.
2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
•
PS-10
Sofronoff, K., Attwood, T., & Hinton, S. (2005). A randomised controlled trial of a CBT intervention for anxiety in children
with Asperger syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 46(11), 1152-1160.