Adolescence is an age of significant physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, characterized by the transition from childhood to adulthood. Substantial shifts in social interactions during this period actively shape the nature and quality of adolescent relationships. It can present opportunities and challenges as individuals navigate the complexities of personal growth, social interactions, and emerging independence. Notably, individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle to establish and maintain social connections, as social impairments constitute an essential characteristic of the disorder. These challenges exert profound and enduring effects on individuals with ASD. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, this study primarily evaluated the feasibility of the Relationship and Interpersonal Skills Training for Autistic Adolescents (RISTA) parent training program with some secondary clinical outcomes collected. RISTA consists of three components: (a) asynchronous training, (b) in-person workshop, and (c) home observations. Fifteen parents completed a 4-hour parent workshop. Eleven parents (n=11) were retained (73%) and completed the teaching component to their adolescents at home, where they were observed by a trained research assistant with a fidelity of implementation at 88%.Feasibility results indicate the feasibility of the RISTA parent training program: Intervention Appropriateness Measure had a mean rating of 4.55 out of 5, Acceptability of Intervention Measure was a mean rating of 4.80 out of 5, and Feasibility of Intervention Measure was a mean rating of 4.43 out of 5 measured by parents. Parents also rated the workshop, facilitator, and overall program very highly. Parents also showed a significant increase in interpersonal effectiveness skills knowledge (M = 11.27 to 13.73; d = .59) and also provided constructive qualitative feedback on the intervention process. Secondary results suggested preliminary evidence for significant improvement in parenting confidence, parent-adolescent relationships, and adolescent social and communication skills. Specifically, parents demonstrated a significant increase in parenting confidence as measured by the BASC-3-PRQ (M = 32.73 to 37.19; d = 1.03), a statistically significant decrease in parental stress, as measured by the PSS (M = 42.37 to 38.82; d = .97), a significant increase in the parent-adolescent relationship subscale connectedness, as measured by the PARS (M = 4.47 to 4.77; d = 0.77). Additionally, parents reported a significant increase in their adolescents' social skills (M = 40.00 to 43.64; d = .63) as measured by the BASC-3-PR and communication abilities (M = 38.19 to 40.55; d = 70) as measured by the BASC-3-PRQ. Although participants also showed a decrease in parent-adolescent hostility (M = 2.10 to 1.95; d = .32) and an increase in parent-adolescent shared activities (M = 3.34 to 3.55; d = .38), and adolescent interpersonal skills: relationship skills (M = 2.27 to 2.45; d = .19) boundary-setting skills (M = 2.18 to 2.55; d = .45) negotiation skills (M = 2.09 to 2.36; d = .25) and conflict reduction skills (M = 2.09 to 2.45; d = .35), these findings were not significant. The RISTA parent training program has significant implications for practice, education, rehabilitation, and mental health counseling research. It introduces a new perspective in a service approach tailored to adolescents with ASD, emphasizing socioemotional well-being for the transition into adolescence. RISTA raises awareness among counseling practitioners about involving parents in interventions. In education, it enriches counseling programs' curriculum by integrating evidence-based parent training. RISTA strengthens the empirical evidence for parent training and introduces a new framework in ASD research. Future studies should scale up the feasibility study for greater evidence and generalizability.
Read
