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A Brief CRAFT Parental Support Program Focused on Helping Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Neurodevelopmental Problems: a Pilot Study

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Aya Yamamoto
Aya Yamamoto
Aya Yamamoto
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Hendrik G. Roozen
Hendrik G. Roozen
Hendrik G. Roozen
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Abstract

Objectives Parents who have either young or adult children with autism frequently report high stress levels due to children’s episodes of aggression, self-inflicted harm, and conduct problems. However, the number of evidence-based programs to assist parents of individuals with autism during the transition to adulthood is scarce. A novel treatment option is Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). CRAFT is a useful treatment package originally designed to engage resistant substance users into treatment by working with their concerned significant others (CSO). The underlying operant-based belief is that environmental contingencies play an important role in supporting an identified patient (IP) to treatment or community/welfare support resources. Furthermore, CRAFT is geared to (re)connect CSOs to formal and informal social and recreational networks and reducing CSOs’ physical and psychological distress. The aim of this cross-sectional pilot study is to examine the unilateral effects of a brief CRAFT intervention on the well-being of both IPs with autism and CSOs. Methods Sixteen CSOs were included in the CRAFT program, consisting of three 60-min group sessions. Results The CSOs pre-post analyses demonstrated statistically significant improvements with respect to The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). However, no statistically significant improvements were observed for IPs. Conclusions CRAFT seems a promising approach to facilitate quality of health improvements in CSOs with young or adult children with autism spectrum disorder. However, more research is needed to confirm the role of CRAFT with respect to this diagnostic group.
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ORIGINAL PAPER
A Brief CRAFT Parental Support Program Focused on Helping
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other
Neurodevelopmental Problems: a Pilot Study
Aya Yamamoto
1
&Hendrik G. Roozen
2
Published online: 2 August 2019
#Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Abstract
Objectives Parents who have either young or adult children with autism frequently report high stress levels due to children’s
episodes of aggression, self-inflicted harm, and conduct problems. However, the number of evidence-based programs to assist
parents of individuals with autism during the transition to adulthood is scarce. A novel treatment option is Community
Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). CRAFT is a useful treatment package originally designed to engage resistant
substance users into treatment by working with their concerned significant others (CSO). The underlying operant-based belief is
that environmental contingencies play an important role in supporting an identified patient (IP) to treatment or community/
welfare support resources. Furthermore, CRAFT is geared to (re)connect CSOs to formal and informal social and recreational
networks and reducing CSOs’physical and psychological distress. The aim of this cross-sectional pilot study is to examine the
unilateral effects of a brief CRAFT intervention on the well-being of both IPs with autism and CSOs.
Methods Sixteen CSOs were included in the CRAFT program, consisting of three 60-min group sessions.
Results The CSOs pre-post analyses demonstrated statistically significant improvements with respect to The General Health
Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). However, no statistically significant improvements were observed for IPs.
Conclusions CRAFT seems a promising approach to facilitate quality of health improvements in CSOs with young or adult
children with autism spectrum disorder. However, more research is needed to confirm the role of CRAFT with respect to this
diagnostic group.
Keywords Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) .Autism .Transition .Adulthood .Family support
Historically, research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was
typically focused on the onset and progression of the condi-
tion in early childhood and adolescence (Howlin 1997).
Recently, a broader perspective has become more dominant,
focusing on the transition of this disorder throughout the life
span (DaWalt et al. 2018). Unfortunately, the evidence on how
to treat ASD and how to obtain long-term favorable outcomes
in terms of behavior, social, and communication is still unclear
(Ospina et al. 2008).
In Japan, the government issued the support law for
neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) in 1995, but the law is
unclear about the treatment options. Individuals with autism
frequently suffer from a myriad of vital problems, such as loss
of welfare and housing services, and are often characterized
with low rates of employment and have lack of autonomy/
independence in daily activities (Henninger and Taylor
2013; Howlin et al. 2004; Howlin and Moss 2012).
Typically, the level of autonomy that requires certain daily
routine self-management skills such as eating, dressing, and
washing, without any help of concerned others is often
decreased.
Family members are often facing undesired behaviors from
the individual with autism, such as aggression, hyperactivity,
self-inflicted harm, and conduct problems. These behaviors
are often considered chronic throughout childhood and
*Aya Yamamoto
kuwaji@sgu.ac.jp
1
Faculty of Psychology, Sapporo Gakuin University, 11 Bunkyo-dai,
Ebetsu-shi, Hokkaido 069-8555, Japan
2
Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA),
The University of New Mexico (UNM), MSC 11 6280, 1 University
of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (2020) 4:15–19
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-019-00122-0
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... A large part of CRAFT is also addressing caregiver stress through self-care planning. In a pilot study, CRAFT has also shown utility in improving well-being of parents of adults with ASD [35]. ...
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