A program that addresses child social-communication skills, disruptive child behaviour and parent wellbeing is being rolled out nationally after clinical evaluations showed promise.

Developed by the Sydney Child Research Behavior Clinic at the University of Sydney, ParentWorks-Spectrum is for parents and caregivers of children aged between 2 and 5 years 11 months with a diagnosis of autism (level 2 or 3).

A randomised controlled trial of 40 families who undertook the program reported significantly lower child behaviour difficulties, improved child social-communication skills and reduced parental anxiety, stress and depression compared to those who were waitlisted for the program.

They also reported higher self-efficacy and confidence in their parenting abilities and fewer problems related to parenting. After completing the intervention, parents also reported more positive interactions with their child and better family functioning relative to the waitlist group.

“ParentWorks-Spectrum is evidence-based, but also free, accessible and holistic in that it considers whole families’ needs, not just those of children with ASD,” clinic director Professor Mark Dadds, said. “We believe these unique features contribute to the program’s success.”

The program is split into three modules:

  1. Improving disruptive behaviours – reducing child behavioural difficulties and their impact on general functioning and the family system
  2. Improving social communication skills – enhancing parent-child interactions though the development of parents’ skills
  3. Parent wellbeing – ASD interventions are only as effective as parents’ ability to implement them, with a focus on facilitating parental teamwork, partner support, and wellbeing.

Caregivers who participate in the program are invited to attend 12 individual (approximately 1.5 hour) family sessions with a psychologist, online via Zoom, over 12 weeks.

As phase one of a national rollout, 120 families will be eligible to undertake ParentWorks-Spectrum, free of charge. Email scbrc@sydney.edu.au or call: (02) 9114 4326 to register your interest.

In phase two, the program will be disseminated more widely, with potential for international reach. It will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.