Mindfulness for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder

Summary

The current study examines the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to reduce parenting stress, lessen parental reactivity and negativity, and decrease child externalizing behaviors among families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The design is a randomized controlled trial of 138 families of preschool-aged children with ASD. Parents of children with ASD will be randomized to MBSR or to a Psychoeducational (PE) support control group matched for clinical contact and dosage (see details on interventions below). Families will participate in laboratory assessments at baseline and immediately post-treatment, as well as at 6 months and 12 months post-treatment. Measures include standardized and validated parent and teacher questionnaires, gold-standard psychological assessments, and observational and interview ratings.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR)

MBSR includes eight weekly 2.5-hour group sessions, a day-long (6hr) meditation retreat on the weekend during week six, 45 minutes of daily home practice guided by instructional audio CDs, and an MBSR parent workbook. Formal mindfulness exercises aim to increase the capacity for mindfulness and include a body scan, mindful yoga, and sitting meditation. Participants are also taught to practice mindfulness informally in everyday activities. In session, didactic instruction on stress physiology and using mindfulness for coping with stress in daily life is provided. Participants practice formal mindfulness exercises, break into dyads to discuss their daily homework practice, and meet as a larger group to ask questions related to the practice of mindfulness in everyday life.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducational Support Group (PE)

The PE consists of 8-weekly 2.5-hour sessions, a day-long (6hr) Family Resource Fair during week six, daily homework that includes monitoring progress on goals identified at the end of each session, and a workbook for parents of children with special needs that provides parents with information regarding their child's development, disability, and associated considerations. Weekly topics for discussion include Preparing for Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, Communicating with Teachers, Advocacy, Sibling Issues, and Community Resources.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• California State University, Fullerton

  collaborator OTHER

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• Loma Linda University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Cameron L Neece, Ph.D. · Loma Linda University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

5 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-07-21

Primary Completion

2022-06-28

Completion

2022-06-28

Countries

• United States

Study Locations