Parent education in autism spectrum disorder – a review of the literature

Families living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face many challenges, affecting not only the child with ASD and development but also family functioning and quality of life. Parent education (PE) in ASD has been identified as a priority intervention for this group both internationally and nationally. However, though there is a large body of literature regarding parent training (PT) in specific therapeutic approaches, a narrative literature review of databases found only 12 papers reporting on research into PE. Overall, PE is shown to be a positive intervention which can lead to reductions in stress and anxiety, improved coping, improved parent-child interaction and communication, improved understanding of ASD, efficacy and confidence and improved parental quality of life. Four key themes – impact, delivery, content and local/cultural issues – are discussed, weaknesses and problems within the literature are acknowledged, and the need is identified for further research into such interventions.