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Culturally Responsive Family Centered Positive Behaviour Support Group Parent Training for Chinese Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Project end date: June 1, 2025

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Study Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a culturally responsive group parent
training model of Family Centered Positive Behaviour Support (FCPBS) with new immigrant
Chinese families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That is, whether the
group parent training model of FCPBS will result in improvements in child behaviour,
parental stress, and child and family quality of life.

Study Language

  • The screening process and FCPBS group parent training workshop will be conducted in  Mandarin.
  • The FCPBS group parent training workshop materials will be provided in Chinese.

What is Involved in the Study?

• Parents activities involved in the study include: (a) weekly, 2.5-hour in-person group parent training sessions for two workshop series; (b) each workshop series lasts 10 consecutive weeks with one month break in between; (c) development of knowledge about ASD, and knowledge and skills in functional assessment, positive behaviour support (PBS), and mindfulness; (c) practice of PBS strategies during weekly group parent training sessions; (d)home practice intended to promote daily use of PBS strategies in home and community.
• Research activities involved in study include: (a) brief telephone interview to ensure that
families meet basic requirements for study; (b) home-based interview and observations to
ensure that child and parent are good fit for study; (c) assignment to one of two groups, group A and group B; (d) for group A, one pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
assessment; and (e) for group B, two pre-intervention assessments and one post-intervention assessment.

How Long Will Study Take?
• The study will take between 12 and 15 months. Each of the two workshop series comprised
of 10 weekly sessions will take 3 months. In between each workshop series is a one-month
break.

Who Can Participate?
Immigrant Chinese families of children with ASD who meet the following criteria.

Children:
• Primary diagnosis of ASD;
• 3 to 8 years old;
• Mild-to-moderate challenging behaviour with regard to intensity and potential harm to self, others, or property (e.g., noncompliance/defiance, leaving assigned area, whining or crying);
• Mild-to-moderate challenging behaviour occurring in a minimum of three family routines in home or community, one of which needs to be a transition routine; and
• Challenging behaviour has been occurring in target family routines for at least six months.
Parents:
• Reside in same household as child with ASD;
• Immigrated from mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan to Canada;
• Speak Mandarin and reads Chinese fluently;
• Not participating in any other parent training programs during study;
• Willing to complete child and family functioning assessments instruments;
• Willing to participate in video recorded direct observations of parent and child behaviour in one target family routine in the home or community;
• Willing to commit to attend both workshop series (Essential and Advanced) of the group
parent training model;
• Willing and able to attend weekly sessions and complete weekly assigned home practice for
the duration of the parent training model; and
• Report levels of parenting stress below the clinical cut-off on Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (Abidin, 2012).

If you are interested in participating the study, please contact Dr. Joseph Lucyshyn at (604) 822-1904 and leave voice mail message; e-mail [email protected]; or Chloe Wang at (604) 499-3531 and leave voice mail message; email [email protected].