A Pilot Study of a Co-parenting Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The aims of this pilot study are to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a peer-delivered co-parenting program, Autism Parent Navigators (APN), for parents of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty families (63 caregivers) participated in a mixed-method quasi-experimental test of the six-week intervention. Feasibility and acceptability data were collected weekly. Outcome data were collected at baseline, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. The findings suggest that the APN program was generally feasible to deliver in a community setting and was acceptable to parents of children with ASD. The results also offer promising preliminary evidence of the program’s impact on parents’ ASD service navigation, co-parent relationship quality and parent well-being. APN could be an effective tool for supporting families in the months following their child’s diagnosis.