Group Intervention to Improve Quality of Life among Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
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Abstract
Objective: To evaluate group intervention for siblings designed to increase siblings' Quality of life. Methods: Twenty well siblings (ages 8–12 years) were recruited through special schools serving children with developmental disabilities. The PedsQL parent version was used before and after the intervention. A sample of 20 families completed a 3-month follow-up to assess the maintenance of results. Results: After attending 6 group sessions, there was an improvement in the PedsQL scores to 88.3 (± 9.9), respectively (p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, subjects showed significant improvement in 2 out of the 4 PedsQL subscales, namely emotional and social function (p-value < 0.001) maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: The results support continued development and testing of family-based, early interventions to promote good Quality of life among young siblings of children with developmental disabilities.
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References
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