Parenting

Autism: Parents Need Help Managing Emotions, Too

Another study

Another study

Another large-scale study from The University of Manchester, deemed Pre-School Autism Communication Trial (PACT), also demonstrated benefits to parents when participating in therapy for improved communication.

Parents and children who completed 12 therapy sessions lead by the parent saw marked improvements in one-on-one communication with their children. The research team taught the parents to use language and gestures tailored to their child’s understanding by filming their interactions and then having parents watch back the video with a therapist. The goal was "to help adults self-learn and become self-aware," said Professor Jonathan Green, leader of the study.

Results showed while 55 percent of participants were labeled as “severely autistic” at the start of the study, after parents will skilled up on how to better communicate, only 46 percent of the group was considered severely autistic after six years. This bucked the normally expected trend of an increase in autism severity among the group (the control group was 63 percent severely autistic after six years).