Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

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Habibi D, Hafezi F, Amiri Majd M, Asgari P, Heidari A. The Effects of Problem-Solving Skills Training for Mothers on Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. MEJDS 2021; 11 :145-145
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-2666-en.html

Background & Objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition of the brain. ASD is divided by impairment into social interactions (interventions) and repetitive and specific behaviors. All develop before the child is three years old. Social developmental disabilities distinguish ASD and overlapping disorders from other developmental disorders. Individuals with ASD have social ills that prevent them from adequately understanding others' feelings. They also encounter behavioral problems. The mothers of children with ASD have decreased self–efficacy compared to their counterparts with pervasive biopsychological developmental disorders. Thus, the relationship between a child's condition and family functioning is reciprocal; instead of addressing a child with special needs, it is necessary to consider families with special needs. This is because a child with developmental issues challenges the family communication system. Under the influence of the dynamics resulting from a child with ASD, the communication function of the family is disturbed. It is necessary to target the communication functions of the family beyond the child. Teaching problem–solving skills and informing families about the problems of children with particular disorders is among the measures that can improve children's behavioral and psychological performance. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effects of problem–solving skills training for mothers on behavioral problems in children with ASDs.
Methods: This was a quasi–experimental study with pretest–posttest and a control group design. The study's statistical population consisted of all mothers of children with ASDs and high level of performance, referring to child care centers with ASD in Tehran City, Iran, in 2018. Of them, 30 eligible volunteers were included in the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to the test and control groups (n=15/group). Research instruments included the Child Behavioral Problems Scale (Achenbach, 1991) and the ASSQ Autism Scope Test (Ehler et al., 1993). The problem–solving skills training intervention was performed on the experimental group for 2 months (8 sessions), 1 session per week, and 2 sessions per meeting. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS using univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: The obtained results indicated that after removing the pretest effect, the mean scores of introvert behaviors, including anxiety/depression (p<0.001), isolation/depression (p<0.001), physical complaints (0.001), outward behaviors, including law–breaking behaviors (p<0.001), aggressive behavior (p<0.001), and other behavioral problems, such as social problems (p<0.001), thinking problems (p<0.001), issues note (p<0.001), there was a significant difference between the study groups in the posttest.
Conclusion: Based on the current research findings, problem–solving skills training for mothers with children with ASD and a high level of performance can be used; it effectively improves the problems of input and output behaviors.