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The Effect of an Education Program for Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jordan

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Abstract

There are few support services for parents of children with a disability in Jordan. The present exploratory study investigated whether the provision of an education program in Jordan for mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder increased mothers’ understanding of their child’s behaviour, improved the mothers’ coping skills, and reduced their stress levels. Following the education program, the mothers reported a statistically significant reduction in stress levels, an increase in coping skills, and an improvement in mother-child interaction. Compared to fathers, mothers’ stress levels were significantly higher and their coping skills were significantly lower. The outcomes have valuable implications for interventions for families with a child with ASD living in Jordan or in other Arabic countries.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Special Education Centre, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Amany Al-Khalaf, Ian Dempsey & Kerry Dally

Authors
  1. Amany Al-Khalaf
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  2. Ian Dempsey
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  3. Kerry Dally
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian Dempsey.

Appendix

Appendix

More Detailed Content of the Education Program Sessions

FIRST SESSION:

Welcome, introduction to the education program and information about ASD (Autism Research Institute 2007; Hollander 2003; Smith et al. 2007).

  1. 1.

    Building a relationship between the researcher and mothers and among mothers themselves.

  2. 2.

    Description of the nature and goals of the program and the principles that govern the work of the group.

  3. 3.

    Autism Spectrum Disorder: Definition and characteristics.

  4. 4.

    Autism Spectrum Disorder: Causes and diagnosis.

SECOND SESSION:

Communication difficulties in children with ASD, and social difficulties (making friends) (Autism Research Institute 2007; Blue-Banning et al. 2004; Hollander 2003; Smith et al. 2007; Zager 2005).

  1. 1.

    Introduction.

  2. 2.

    What is communication? How are friendships formed?

  3. 3.

    Characteristics and impact of social and communication difficulties.

  4. 4.

    Strategies to support children with communication or social difficulties.

  5. 5.

    Summary.

THIRD SESSION:

Repetitive behaviour and sensory processing (Gense and Jay 2005; Smith et al. 2007).

  1. 1.

    Introduction.

  2. 2.

    What is repetitive behaviour? What is sensory processing?

  3. 3.

    Characteristics and impact of repetitive behaviour and sensory processing problems.

  4. 4.

    Strategies to support children with repetitive behaviour or sensory processing problems.

  5. 5.

    Summary.

FOURTH SESSION:

Sleeping and eating problems and programs for children with ASD. Helping children with ASD during play time, and conclusion (Australian Psychological Society 2010; Bromley et al. 2004; Handleman and Harris 2008; National Research Council 2001; Schreibman and Koegel 1996; Volkert and Vaz 2010).

  1. 1.

    Introduction of sleeping and eating problems.

  2. 2.

    Strategies to manage sleeping and eating problems

  3. 3.

    Introduction of the importance of play for children with ASD.

  4. 4.

    How to play with a child with ASD.

  5. 5.

    Review of what has been presented in previous sessions.

  6. 6.

    Dissection of any issues arising from previous sessions.

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Al-Khalaf, A., Dempsey, I. & Dally, K. The Effect of an Education Program for Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jordan. Int J Adv Counselling 36, 175–187 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9199-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9199-3

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