Parenting Interventions for Parents of Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Review and Future Directions

Abstract

The present paper provides a descriptive analysis of empirical research published between 2005 and 2011 on parent education, parent training, and parent-implemented interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention de cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or learning disorders (LD). With the use of speci ed criteria, 64 publica- fi fi tions were selected. The descriptive analysis compared the target behavior of the children by diagnosis and chronological age, and examined the parents’ burden in relation to parenting interventions and the assessment that was used. The results were as follows: (a) most of the children had been taught behavior related to their disabilities, (b) few publications evaluated maintenance of the parents’ implementation of the intervention procedures, (c) most of the parents received 11 hours or more of training on the intervention procedures, and (d) few articles reported assessment of the parents or building intervention strategies. The present review suggests that further research is necessary on methods of selection of target behavior in the context of children’s quality of life, and on procedures to assess parents’ burden in their daily life. Interven- tion strategies should be developed that parents can implement easily with their children