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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Oct;52(10):4286-4300.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05297-x. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Erica Salomone  1   2 , Michele Settanni  3 , Helen McConachie  4 , Katharine Suma  5 , Federica Ferrara  3 , Giulia Foletti  3 , Arianna Salandin  3 ; WHO CST Team; Chiara Servili #  6 , Lauren B Adamson #  7
Collaborators, Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Erica Salomone et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Parents of children with ASD (N = 86; mean age 44.8 months; 67 boys) were randomized to either WHO Caregiver Skills Training (CST) delivered in public health settings in Italy or enhanced treatment-as-usual. Primary blinded outcomes were 3-months post-intervention change scores of autism severity and engagement during caregiver-child interaction. CST was highly acceptable to caregivers and feasibly delivered by trained local clinicians. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a large and significant effect on parent skills supporting joint engagement and a smaller significant effect on flow of interaction. Expected changes in child autism severity and joint engagement did not meet statistical significance. Analysis of secondary outcomes showed a significant effect on parenting stress, self-efficacy, and child gestures. Strategies to improve the effectiveness of CST are discussed.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Caregiver skills training; Parenting education; Parent–Child relations; Public health; Randomized controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Joint Engagement Rating Inventory (JERI) constructs and rating items
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CONSORT Flow chart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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