Abstract
Some parents have to
deal with the challenging behaviors of their children with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD), including aggressive and destructive behaviors.
While pharmacological and behavioral interventions have been the
treatments of choice, sometimes the pharmacological treatments are not
very effective or the behavioral interventions are so labor intensive
that parents fail to implement them consistently, thus leading to
treatment failure and parental stress. In this proof-of-concept study,
we assessed the effects of providing mindfulness-based positive behavior
support (MBPBS) training to three mothers on the challenging and
compliance behaviors of their adolescents with ASD.
The MBPBS program
included a series of meditations aimed at personal transformation during
an 8-week program. The training in mindfulness-based practices was
paired with applications to their interactions with their adolescent
children using a positive behavior support model, whereby the mothers
learned how to apply behavioral contingencies with intuitive awareness.
Results showed that the adolescents’ challenging behaviors decreased and
compliance behaviors increased commensurate with the mothers’ training
in MBPBS. In addition, statistically significant reductions in the
mothers’ stress levels were correlated with the MBPBS training. These
findings provide initial support for MBPBS in assisting parents to
effectively manage the challenging behaviors of their children with ASD
and in increasing their positive social interactions with them, but
without raising their own stress levels.
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