Outcomes of the World Health Organization's Caregiver Skills Training Program for Eritrean and Ethiopian Parents of Autistic Children in the United States
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| Title: | Outcomes of the World Health Organization's Caregiver Skills Training Program for Eritrean and Ethiopian Parents of Autistic Children in the United States |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sarah Dababnah (ORCID |
| Source: | Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 2025 29(12):2941-2954. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Adult Education |
| Descriptors: | Autism Spectrum Disorders, Skill Development, Parent Education, Immigrants, Foreign Countries, Mothers, Anxiety, Stress Variables, Coping, Stress Management, Intervention, Program Effectiveness, Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| Geographic Terms: | Eritrea, Ethiopia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613251351345 |
| ISSN: | 1362-3613 1461-7005 |
| Abstract: | Autism intervention research has not adequately addressed the needs of Black autistic children and their families, particularly those who are also immigrants to the United States. The World Health Organization designed Caregiver Skills Training (CST), a parent-mediated intervention intended to improve child social communication and behavior, to fill in the global gap of services for caregivers of young children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. While CST has been implemented in Ethiopia, it has not been evaluated for Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant families in the United States. This single-arm pilot study of CST investigated pre- and post-intervention changes in parent and child outcomes within a sample of 25 mothers of autistic children (ages 2-9 years) in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. Eritrean and Ethiopian facilitators delivered CST remotely to five parent groups. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and found statistically significant improvements in parents' knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, depression, and empowerment, as well as child communication, sociability, and sensory/ cognitive awareness. There were no statistically significant changes in parents' anxiety, stress, and coping, nor some subscales of the empowerment and child outcome measures. We conclude CST is a promising intervention for Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant families in the United States. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm study findings. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1489391 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Autism intervention research has not adequately addressed the needs of Black autistic children and their families, particularly those who are also immigrants to the United States. The World Health Organization designed Caregiver Skills Training (CST), a parent-mediated intervention intended to improve child social communication and behavior, to fill in the global gap of services for caregivers of young children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. While CST has been implemented in Ethiopia, it has not been evaluated for Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant families in the United States. This single-arm pilot study of CST investigated pre- and post-intervention changes in parent and child outcomes within a sample of 25 mothers of autistic children (ages 2-9 years) in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. Eritrean and Ethiopian facilitators delivered CST remotely to five parent groups. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and found statistically significant improvements in parents' knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, depression, and empowerment, as well as child communication, sociability, and sensory/ cognitive awareness. There were no statistically significant changes in parents' anxiety, stress, and coping, nor some subscales of the empowerment and child outcome measures. We conclude CST is a promising intervention for Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant families in the United States. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm study findings. |
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| ISSN: | 1362-3613 1461-7005 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613251351345 |
