Parental Knowledge of Behavioral Principles Following Training to Address Sleep Problems in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Follow-up Study
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Sleep problems are a common occurrence among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition to the challenges that sleep problems present for children’s neurodevelopment, learning, and daytime behaviors, sleep problems in children present significant challenges for the entire family. Research studies on behavioral interventions to address sleep problems in young children have shown them to be effective. These interventions have often been combined in multi-component behavioral parent training (BPT) programs to teach parents to assess and intervene to improve children’s various sleep problems. Although there is a promising evidence base emerging that demonstrates the effectiveness of BPT as a model to address sleep problems in young children with ASD, research on parents’ knowledge and generalization of behavioral methods has been nearly absent in this line of inquiry. This research study evaluated maintenance and generalization of parent knowledge 6-12 months following parents’ participation in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Parents’ knowledge of behavioral methods, children’s sleep behaviors, parents’ ratings of stress and other demographic factors (e.g., education and income) were compared between a BPT group and a psycho-educational group of the RCT. Additionally, results from a brief qualitative interview are presented to assess parents’ performance in addressing children’s sleep behavior. The results of this follow-up study as well as recommendations for future research will be discussed.
Author: Kylan S. Turner
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1487970353