Effectiveness of Group Stepping Stones Positive Parenting Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Disruptive Behaviour: Program Evaluation from a Large Community Implementation

Children on the autism spectrum often experience higher rates of emotional and behavioural difficulties than their typically developing peers. Parenting a child with special needs can place increased stress and demands on parents, and those parents often seek out specialized parenting programs and supports to address the unique needs of their children. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the group Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) Program, a 9-week intervention for parents of children with disabilities and behavioural challenges, within the context of a large clinical implementation. Parents of children on the autism spectrum participated in the group SSTP Program and completed measures preand post-intervention; 131 families enrolled, and we obtained post-intervention data from 109 on at least some measures. Significant improvements were reported for self-efficacy (Parenting Tasks Checklist; p’s < .001) and parenting over-reactivity and laxness (Parenting Scale; p’s < .001). Reduced parent stress (p < .001) emerged on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, and decreases in anxiety (p = .032) and depression (p = .036) approached significance. Improvement was reported, on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, for children’s overall difficulties, behavioural (conduct) challenges, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behavior (all p’s < .001), but not for emotional symptoms or peer problems. The Parenting Stress Index –Short Form revealed improvements on all domains (p’s range: < .001 to .005). Overall, parents were satisfied with the program, and attrition rates were very low (approx. 15%). This study demonstrates the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the 9-week group SSTP program, for use with children on the autism spectrum, in a large clinical setting. One logical next step is to explore adaptations to this program for virtual delivery in order to increase access for hard-to-reach families of children on the autism spectrum.