Mothers’ self-report of their wellbeing and the effectiveness of early intensive behavioural intervention for their children with autism spectrum disorder

This study investigated the effectiveness of Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Australia. It also examined the impact of maternal symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress on both progress made by children participating in EIBI and mothers’ time involvement in generalising a child’s skills. Maternal symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress as well as child functioning (prior and post EIBI commencement) were measured. Sixty-one children were divided into two groups, based on whether or not their mother had symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results indicated that EIBI was effective in reducing ASD symptoms. Maternal symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress did hinder child progress in some areas, however, did not reduce the time that mothers practice generalisation in EIBI.