Online Training Program for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

项目总结 自闭症在美国儿童中正迅速成为一种流行病。2007年至2009年，疾控中心报告的病例平均增加了57%，从150名儿童中有1名上升到110名儿童中有1名。虽然意识和认同感的提高是这一增长的部分原因，但疾控中心不能排除风险的真正增加，特别是在男孩中，他们现在被诊断为自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的可能性是女孩的4.5倍。为自闭症儿童及其家人提供的服务没有跟上自闭症病例数量的急剧增加，特别是在国家预算紧缩的时候；此外，由于地理、经济或实际障碍，一些父母无法获得现有的服务。这项名为《自闭症谱系障碍儿童家长在线培训计划》的拟议项目将向家长传授循证策略，帮助他们的孩子在对健康家庭生活至关重要的行为上取得更大的成功，例如，掌握自我照顾的日常行为。通过利用互联网技术为家长提供高质量、科学有效和具有教育意义的育儿教育，该项目希望解决目前在提供自闭症支持服务方面的差距。这一培训计划将帮助父母以经济高效的方式获得必要的支持服务，为他们提供一个方便的计划，他们可以在方便的时候照看。每节课程将包含丰富的多媒体课程，提供引人入胜的、逼真的视频片段；交互式技能建设练习；交互式知识评估，以加强知识保留；与专门从事自闭症的行为顾问互动和反馈的机会；激励提醒；跟踪成功和挑战的日记活动；以及补充印刷材料。将进行包括ASD儿童家长和ASD儿童工作服务提供者在内的焦点小组的形成性研究，以确保必要的问题得到解决，并在制定计划内容和将计划交付给父母之前，获得有关拟议计划的重要性、有用性、相关性和可接受性的反馈。实施后，将采用两个小组、准试验性的培训前和培训后设计，以评估在线计划的可用性和可行性。自我效能感、知识和父母压力的变化也将被评估。最后，将从参与者那里收集消费者满意度的测试后评估和对该计划的修改建议。

PROJECT SUMMARY Autism is fast becoming an epidemic among American children. Between 2007 and 2009, the CDC reported an average increase in cases of 57 percent, from 1 in 150 children to 1 in 110 children. While improved awareness and identification accounted for some of this increase, the CDC could not rule out a true increase in risk, particularly among boys, who are now 4.5 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Services for children with ASD and their families have not kept up with this dramatic increase in the number of ASD cases, particularly in this time of state budget tightening; in addition, some parents cannot access existing services because of geographical, financial, or practical barriers. The proposed project, the Online Training Program for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, will teach parents evidence-based strategies that they can use to help their child be more successful in behaviors that are essential for healthy family life, e.g., mastering self-care routines. By using Internet technology to provide parents with high quality, scientifically valid, and instructionally engaging parenting education, this project hopes to address the existing gap in the delivery of ASD support services. This training program will help parents receive necessary support services in a cost-effective manner by providing them with an easily accessible program that they can attend to at their convenience. Each program session will contain rich multimedia lessons that present engaging, realistic video vignettes; interactive skill-building exercises; interactive knowledge assessments to reinforce knowledge retention; opportunities for interaction with and feedback from behavioral consultants who specialize in ASD; motivational reminders; journaling activities to track successes and challenges; and supplementary print materials. Formative research involving focus groups with both parents of children with ASD and service providers who work with children with ASD will be conducted to ensure that needed issues are addressed and to obtain feedback on the perceived importance, usefulness, relevance, and acceptability of the proposed program before program content is developed and the program is delivered to parents. Following implementation, a two-panel, quasi-experimental pre- and post-training design will be employed to assess the usability and feasibility of the online program. Changes in self-efficacy, knowledge, and parental stress will also be evaluated. Finally, post-test evaluation of consumer satisfaction and recommendations for modifications to the program will be collected from participants.