A Study on Construction and Effects of a Support Group Program for Parents of Children with autism

• Main Authors: CHEN JUNG CHUAN, 陳蓉娟
• Other Authors: 楊宗仁
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/99942818097045768852

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 特殊教育學系碩士班 === 94 === This study aimed to construct a practical support group program for parents of children with autism by action research. It was based on parents’ needs to schedule topics for group discussions and presentation, to provide information, and to link resources during the construction stage. Parents’ feedbacks and observation records also affect the construction of support group program. The questionnaire survey method was adopted to evaluate the effects of the program. After going through three stages of action research, including planning, action, data analysis and thesis writing—it came to the following conclusions: 1. The assessments of parents’ needs should: (1) consult opinions of professionals and parents before developing interview outlines and questionnaires; (2) take personal emotions, children transition placement, economics, mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship, husband-wife relationship, teaching strategies, parents-children interaction, parents-teacher communication, and man power of care into consideration; (3) understand the parents’ expectation of discussion topics and presentation. 2. Constructing the parents’ support group program should: (1) based on assessment results of parents’ needs; (2) undergo the action plans step by step; (3) be flexible to reflect parents’ urgent problems and needs; (4) keep a good two-way interactive relationship with parents; (5) provide presentation materials and discussion agenda to parents before each group activity; (6) invite experienced parents and teachers for sharing. 3. The construction procedures of parents’ support group program includes: (1) the planning stage—building up a group action structure, recruiting parents as group members, interviewing parents, and summarizing parents’ needs; (2) the group action stage—designing the initial group program, group actions and parents’ feedbacks, and the program adjustment ; (3) the evaluation stage—compiling the questionnaires and integrating group action procedures. 4. After analyzing parents’ group discussions results shows that (1) parents’ main concerns are pre-school placement, communication and emotion behaviors, schooling transition, parents-teachers communication, and adaptation ability; (2) the most frequently used resources are parents’ sharing, internet, books, seminars, friends, relatives, and teachers. 5. The effects of parents support group program include the follows: (1) most lessons can meet parents needs; (2) the parent support group can provide diverse choices and different teaching strategies; (3) the program can solve most problems, though some parents still ask for more sessions; (4) the service of this support group can satisfy most parents; (5) parents receive emotion supports and teaching instructions from support group; (6) strategies provided by this group can assist parents in overcoming obstacles; (7) parents can learn correct concepts and get supports; (8) parents can realize their shortage; (9) parents are ready to act. Based on the research findings, implications of this study is proposed on constructing future parents support group programs, and suggestions for parents of children with autism, medical institutions, and further researches are made too..