|
| International Paper Session - Parental Decision-Making, Perspectives and Perceptions |
| Tuesday, May 27, 2008 |
| 12:00 PM–1:20 PM |
| Stevens 3 |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Abbie Solish (York University) |
| |
| Parent and Therapist Perspectives on Parent Involvement in Behavioral Intervention. |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| ABBIE SOLISH (York University), Adrienne M. Perry (York University) |
| |
| Abstract: Although the need for parent involvement in Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) has been, and continues to be, emphasized by professionals in the field, little research has explored this involvement or what it entails. A parent self-report questionnaire and a similar therapist questionnaire were designed for this study, in which parent involvement and five variables believed to influence involvement, were operationalized and measured. The independent variables include: parents’ self-efficacy; knowledge of autism and IBI; belief in IBI (general and specific for “my child”); perception of child progress; and parenting distress. Forty-eight parents of children with Autism, PDD or PDD-NOS participated. All parents had children receiving publicly-funded IBI services from one of four regions across Ontario. Results from the parent questionnaire demonstrated that of our five independent variables, parents’ self-efficacy, knowledge, and general belief in IBI, were all significantly correlated with involvement. Furthermore, self-efficacy was able to account for almost half of the variance in predicting involvement, even when controlling for child characteristics. A subsample of parents consented for their children’s therapists to complete the therapist version of the questionnaire (n = 34). This talk will focus on the similarities and differences in the reporting of parents and therapists. Clinical implications will be discussed. |
| |
| Urban Legends and Autism: Clinical Encounters with Popular Fiction. |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| JOEL FARB (The Center for Behavior Therapy) |
| |
| Abstract: Professionals working in the field of autistic-spectrum disorders often encounter urban legends and similar fictions such as: (1) the child reportedly echoing conversation from house next door -- which the author has encountered numerous times since 1978, and (2) the ubiquitous "fluorescent flicker;" etc. Such fictions are not only reported by parents or anonymously via the internet but are also occasionally repeated by therapists and educators. The program presents a review of common urban legends related to autism and an overview of what, if any, research or factual basis exists to support them. |
| |
|
| |