Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Well-being is reduced in children with autism and their families. The World Health Organization developed the Caregiver Skills Training Program (CST) to improve skills and quality of life in caregivers of children with autism. OBJECTIVES: Assess the feasibility and acceptability of CST in the central commune of Santiago, Chile. METHODS: We conducted a pre-pilot study of CST in caregivers of children with autism in the central commune of Santiago, Chile, in 2017-2018. CST was implemented by two facilitators and included 9 group training sessions and 3 in-home visits. Feasibility and acceptability of CST was assessed by an external team and included: 1. analysis of study records (i.e., 1a. assessment of caregiver skills and self- confidence pre- and post-CST, 1b. participation of caregivers in training sessions using a 1 (inadequate) to 5 (excellent) scale, 1c. feedback from facilitators after each session using a 1 (inadequate) to 5 (excellent) scale, 1d. caregivers’ diaries), and 2. focus groups with caregivers and in-depth interviews with facilitators. RESULTS: Overall, 6 caregivers (5 females, mean age 43.3 (SD 12.9) years) accepted to participate of the study. At baseline, 5 caregivers reported having received information about autism, 1 caregiver reported having received prior training, and 1 caregiver reported having participated in peer groups. Only 4 caregivers completed the CST program. Overall, caregiver skills and self-confidence improved after the CST, although differences were not statistically significant given the small number of participants. Participation of caregivers in training sessions was rated very good in three domains: comfort (mean 4.05, SD 0.89), confidence (mean 4.13, SD 0.98) and enthusiasm (mean 4.49, SD 0.79). Facilitators rated excellent the overall acceptability of the CST (mean 5.00, SD 0.0), very good the amount of content provided (mean 3.98, SD 0.78), and adequate the complexity of the content provided (mean 3.00, SD 0.0). In their diaries, caregivers described improvements in their skills which were noticed by other people and positive changes in their children. In focal groups, caregivers reported that liked the in-home visits, the content of the group training sessions and the interaction with other caregivers. They did not report negative experiences, however, women mentioned that it was difficult for them to transmit the skills that they learned to their male partners. In the in-depth interviews, facilitators reported that CST has good acceptability and that the quality of the content was good. Facilitators did not report negative experiences, however, they indicated that the content to provide in each session was long. CONCLUSION: CST appears to be a feasible and acceptable intervention for caregivers of children with autism in Chile. CST should be implemented in a larger scale, including a randomized clinical trial, to prove benefits for children with autism and their caregivers.