Development of a training program manual for parents and caregivers of children with autism

Autism is considered as the fastest growing developmental disability. The most recent statistics reveal that autism affects one in every 100 live births. This condition is challenging as it affects almost all areas of a child’s development. Thus, early intervention is a must to properly address the growing needs of the child. However, some children with autism belonging to the low socioeconomic status do not get the benefit of early intervention and sometimes do not receive any intervention at all because of poverty. With this concern at hand, this study was conceptualized to describe the parents’ and caregivers’ profiles, identify their training needs, develop a manual suited to the profile of the parents and caregivers, and design a training program to implement the contents of the manual. A total of 75 parents and caregivers participated in the study. All of the respondents are members of Autism Society Philippines in the CALABARZON area. The researcher designed a questionnaire which was utilized in the data collection. The study used descriptive statistics in the analysis of data. Majority of the parents and caregivers who participated are aged 35-45 years and belong to the marginalized class. As for the training needs, parents and caregivers reported sufficient knowledge of basic information about autism except for the steps they need to undertake when they see signs of autism in their child of which they revealed they have little knowledge of. In the areas of guidelines in the management and care and teaching children with autism, parents and caregivers also revealed that they had little knowledge of these two areas. Based on the analysis of the data obtained from the respondent’s responses to the questionnaire and the group discussion with parent/caregiver representatives and experts in the field of special education, a training program manual for parents and caregivers of children with autism living in marginalized communities was developed