Department of Applied Psychology, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi110021, Delhi, India
Paper was presented in International Conference on Circle of Support: Empowerment and Self Determination of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder, 6-10 October, 2008, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
Parents play significant role in the lives of their autistic children. Their emotional attachment and natural commitment make them the most closely involved caregivers. However, all parents are not necessarily effective as teachers or therapists. Main of them require instruction and training for shaping up their skills. Purpose of this article is to discuss the issues related to training of parents as therapists. In this context. outlining the nature of autism and the rationale for parent training, the paper examines the major body of empirical research on parent training. It also discusses the sources of parental stress and other factors that influence the outcome of parents training and provides recommendations for future research.
Parent training, comprehensive therapies, family system, behavioural approach, social praegmatic approach
