The effects of training on the use of visual supports for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities: self-efficacy and implementation

Graduation Date

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology, Academic Research Option with Specialization in Behavior Analysis, 2013

Committee Chair Name

Mary B. Gruber

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology, Visual strategies, Parents, Training, Developmental disabilities, Autism spectrum disorders, Applied behavior analysis, Caregivers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of providing training to caregivers of children with developmental disabilities about the use of visual support strategies as tools to provide concrete information that will enable their child to predict events and expectations of the day, and provide them with a sense of order and consistency. Twenty caregivers of children with developmental disabilities participated in this study. Participants were recruited through local non-profit agencies and service providers that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. The Discussion group received verbal information on visual support systems, plus the opportunity to discuss how they plan to use a visual support system. The Creation group received the same verbal information on visual support systems, plus the opportunity to actually create a visual support system for immediate use. The effectiveness of the training was assessed using a mixed experimental design with two separate groups measured at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. The dependent measures were the caregiver's general self-confidence, self-efficacy for using visual supports, knowledge about using visual supports, and implementation of visual supports. Both the Discussion and Creation groups showed significant increases on several of the visual supports self-efficacy measures from pretest to posttest to follow-up. Both groups showed small, but non-significant, increases on the visual supports knowledge test, which was found to have a ceiling effect since the scores were extremely high even at pretest. Both groups rated their satisfaction with the training very highly at posttest and follow-up. At follow-up, all of the 20 caregivers (100%) had either created a visual support, were implementing a visual support, or both created and implemented a visual support. The two groups did not differ significantly from each other on the proportions of caregivers who had created, implemented, or both created and implemented at follow-up. An unexpected finding was that four of the caregivers in the Creation group said they did not feel ready to create a visual support during the workshop, and therefore watched the other caregivers create their visual supports. However, by follow-up, all four of these caregivers had created visual supports on their own and three of the four were implementing visual supports with the children they cared for. During the training workshops, the participants were observed to engage in discussions about their children, provide social support and encouragement to each other, and share their experiences with each other. Both groups rated their satisfaction with the training very highly at posttest and follow-up. The findings of this study indicate that training and support to caregivers can lead to increases in the caregivers' self-efficacy, creation, and implementation of visual supports for their children with developmental disabilities.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/sq87bw934

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