By Ryan Otteson | Reporter
The Behavior Analysis Research Lab is a lab with multiple projects involving educational psychology. One of these projects is Family Compassionately and Attentively Rendering Evidence-based practices (Family CARE). The goal of Family CARE is to help parents of children with autism implement practices into the daily lives.
This is done through parent training, and if the parents find that the training was helpful, they are eligible for the coaching portion.
Often, parents of children with autism need help teaching basic skills to their child. For example, brushing teeth might be something that is difficult to do, so the research team works to break down the skill into simpler steps.
Waco doctoral student Kelsey Sparks is working on the project as a graduate associate and has helped administer some of the training. She explained how the different stages of Family CARE work. Breaking down skills is a method taught in the parent training, but there are other methods used such as creating visuals for the child.
“Breaking those down and teaching them one step at a time is a really easy way to help kind of increase some independence,” Sparks said.
The parent coaching is more specific to the child and their needs. It is a way to implement the skills discussed in the parent training, according to Sparks.
“It allows us to take and incorporate the newly acquired strategies or skills we talked about and actually apply them at home with a coach,” Sparks said.
The coaching is done via phone call or video conference. Short-term coaching lasts for about a month, with four sessions, while long-term coaching is about four months with 16 sessions. During this time, parents can take a deeper dive and create strategies to work on in the home.
Laredo graduate assistant Ilse Schumm helps create these strategies. She said parents have incentives to come to the training sessions.
“If they come to the training they get a $40 gift card, and then if they sign up for the long-term coaching they get $100,” Schumm said.
Family CARE is free to all Texas families, as the project is grant funded. The researchers travel around the state, working to provide services to families that need it. If families do not have access to technology for the video conferences, Family CARE provides them with an iPad.
“Our age group is three through 17, so as long as you fit within that realm, you’re eligible, since we are grant funded,” Sparks said. “We’re funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.”
This is just one way that Family CARE has supported children with autism and their parents. Both Schumm and Sparks notice that one of the aspects of the training the parents find most valuable is the community of parents that come together.
“I think being in a room with other parents that also have kids with autism, it’s really helpful for parents,” Schumm said.
