View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CSUN ScholarWorks EXPLORING THE FACTORS RELATED TO PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE INTERVENTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM A Project Presented to the faculty of the Division of Social Work California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK by Anna Moroz SPRING 2015 EXPLORING THE FACTORS RELATED TO PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE INTERVENTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM A Project by Anna Moroz Approved By: _________________________________________, Committee Chair Francis Yuen, DSW, ACSW _________________ Date ii Student: Anna Moroz I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the project. _______________________, Graduate Program Director ___________________ S. Torres, Jr. Date Division of Social Work iii Abstract of EXPLORING THE FACTORS RELATED TO PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE INTERVENTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM by Anna Moroz This thesis explores the factors of parental involvement in the behavioral interventions of children with autism. Parental involvement in behavioral intervention is crucial to child success. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model suggests there are environmental factors that influence child development. A child’s development can be affected when individuals with the most influence and who are closest to the child are affected by environmental or societal factors. It is important for therapy professionals and social workers to understand these factors so they can provide parents with the necessary support to assure successful development and learning of the child. This study was conducted in Sacramento, California. The participants were recruited through a local resource center called WarmLine, which provides support to families with children who have special needs. A parent questionnaire was distributed to participants using an online survey system. Participation was anonymous and voluntary. Fifteen parents of children with autism between the ages of three to five who were receiving behavioral intervention participated in this study. Participants indicated the major factors that made it easier for them to be involved included: financial resources, frequent communication with iv providers, support from family and friends, and the initiative of staff to provide parents with information regarding interventions and resources. Involvement is potentially more difficult when those needs are not met. The results of parental involvement found in this study cannot be applied to the particular population at large because the participants were already receiving services from this resource center, and because most of the participants indicated a significant level of involvement already. However, the results are significant nonetheless because they help to inform professionals who work with this population of the potential challenges and strengths parents can have and to help the professionals build on them to encourage parental involvement. Recommendations for future research are to collect a larger number of responses and explore the effect of utilization of resource centers on parental involvement in interventions of their children with autism. _________________________________________, Committee Chair Francis Yuen, DSW, ACSW _________________ Date v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the individuals who provided me with invaluable support throughout the course of this thesis project. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my mother, my father, and my little brother for always keeping me in their prayers. Thanks to my parents who got me to and through the university and encouraged me to follow my passion and my dreams of becoming a social worker and supported me through my education. I could always count on them to comfort me in the tough times and celebrate with me in times of triumph. I would not be able to survive the stresses from the past two years if it was not for the unconditional love, encouragement and support of my best friend and amazing husband Russ. I am thankful to him for his patience and love, his encouragement, not letting me give up and pushing me further than I thought I could go. I can always lean on his shoulder and know that he is always there for me. Finally, without the guidance and persistent help of one of smartest people I know, Dr. Yuen, this thesis project would not be possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to him for his understanding, wisdom and patience. He was always available for my questions and gave generously of his time and vast knowledge. Thanks to him for all the words of encouragement and sense of humor which made it easier to keep going and achieve my goal. I am truly blessed to have had the support of all of these people throughout the course of my thesis project. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments..................................................................................................... .. vi List of Figures………………………………………………………………………...ix Chapter 1. Introduction…………………..……………..…………………………….. ............1 Background and Significance of the Problem………………………………. ..2 Purpose of this Study……….………………………………………………. ...4 Theoretical Framework ………………….………………………………..… ..5 2. Review of the Literature……………………………………………... ...................9 Importance of Early Diagnosis……………………………………………… 10 Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention …………………………………... 11 Importance of Parental Involvement ............................................................. 14 What Constitutes as Parent Involvement?.................................................. ...15 Parent Implemented Intervention ...................................................................16 Parent Trainings and Collaboration with Intervention Staff. ...................... 18 Factors that Prevent/Contribute to Parent Involvement .................................22 Positive Factors of Raising a Child with Autism ...........................................27 Theoretical Model Approach to Parent Involvement. .....................................29 3. Methodology ……………………………………………………………............. 32 vii Study Objectives …………………………………………………………..…32 Study Design ………………………………………………………..…… .....33 Data Collection, Instruments and Convenience Sampling Procedures ………34 Data Analysis Approaches.........…………………………………………… ..36 Sampling Procedures ………..…………………………………………… ....37 4. Study Findings and Discussions .......................……………………………….…39 Themes of Strengths………………………………………………………. ...54 Themes of Challenges ………………………………….………………….. ..57 Summary of Findings ………………………………………………….……..58 5. Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations……………… ............................59 Summary of the Study ……………………………………………………. ...59 Implications for Social Work …………………………………………….… .60 Recommendations ……………………………………………………….… ..62 Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research …………....…… ....63 Conclusion …………………………………………………………….... ......65 Appendix A. Informed Consent to Participate………………………………...…….. 66 Appendix B. Parent Questionnaire …………………………………………..………67 References .......................................…………………………………………………70 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Participant relationship to child ……..…………………………………………….40 2. Indicating family status ……..……………………………………………………..41 3. Family employment status ….……………………………………………………..42 4. Child abilities as rated by participants ……………………………………...……..43 5. Frequency of parent involvement in intervention activities …....…………….……45 6. Difficulty of conducting therapy …………………………………………………..48 7. Challenges that make it difficult to be involved in interventions…………….……50 8. Factors that make it easier to be involved in intervention …………………….…..52 9. Positive factors of raising a child with special needs ………………………….….53 ix 1 Chapter 1 Introduction The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has rapidly increased over the past 20 years (Carey, 2009). In year 2000 it was estimated that 1 in 300 children had this diagnosis, in 2007 that number doubled to 1 in 150 children, and in 2009, an article in the New York Times magazine referenced a large study that estimated that more than 1 in 100 children in the United Stated may have Autism (Carey, 2009). The rising prevalence of ASD calls for greater clinical attention to effective methods of intervention for children with such diagnoses as well as their families (Burrell & Borrego, 2012). Parent involvement in the intervention efforts of their children with ASD is crucial for the success of the intervention as research suggests that “parental involvement in treatment improves the generalizability of skills and increases the amount of intervention the child receives” (Burrell & Borrego, 2012, pp. 423-432). Research shows that in order for intervention efforts to be effective, parents or close caretakers of children must be involved in the intervention process. The issue is that there are many obstacles parents face that prevent them from being fully involved in the intervention efforts of their children which hinder the parent-child outcomes and put further strain and stress on the family dynamic (Kern, 2000). This study explores parental involvement in the interventions of their children with autism and examines the factors that contribute