Relationship Education for Parents of Children w/ Autism

The purpose of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant proposal is to outline the steps that Danya International, Inc. (Danya), will take to develop Relationship Education for Parents of Children with Autism (REPCA,) an innovative, skill-building resource that adapts empirically based education approaches and interventions for families of children and teens ages 10 through 14 who have HFA or AS. REPCA will consist of several interrelated components that will be designed to create a cohesive and comprehensive curriculum. To ensure the success of this project, REPCA strives to meet the following objectives: 1) improve the knowledge of parents of children with HFA/AS about social development and the emergence of relationship issues; 2) provide parents with the tools and information necessary to best educate youth with HFA/AS about intimacy; 3) improve parents? perceived self-efficacy to discuss the heirarchy of social relationships with their children; and 4) provide a highly flexible, empirically based educational resource that can be easily adapted by specific user groups, such as parents, paraprofessionals within advocacy groups, or mental health professionals who work with families in groups or individual sessions. During the Phase I period, Danya will generate content for the introduction and the first chapter in the parent?s guide and corresponding video segments, and provide outlines of the remaining chapters in the workbook, facilitator?s guide, and video segments. Building on the results of the Phase I pilot study, Phase II will entail completing content for the other chapters and activities for the parent?s guide, facilitator?s guide, and filming of the remaining video scenarios and conduct an extensive outcome evaluation. This product will be relevant to the public health of the community for its potential to increase the knowledge of parents of children with HFA/AS about relationships in the context of HFA/AS; teach these parents how to communicate about relationships with their child; and supply advocates with a tool to help to educate parents of children with HFA/AS with whom they work about relationships and intimacy in the context of HFA/AS.