Developing a Family-Centered Eclectic Model and Comparison of its Effectiveness with the Treatment of Parent-Child Interaction in Improving the Parent-Child Relationship of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (High Performance)

Introduction: It seems necessary to identify the components affecting the treatment and to develop a comprehensive, flexible, family-oriented eclectic model that is compatible with each family. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an eclectic family-centered model and compare its effectiveness with the treatment of parent-child interaction in improving the parent-child relationship of children with autism. Methods: The present study was an experimental one; a pre-test-post-test design was run in this study. The participants of this study included all mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders in Tehran Autism Medical Center in Tehran City, Iran. Thirty-six people with targeted sampling were selected and randomly replaced in three groups: the parent-child interaction program (PCIT), eclectic family-centered model, and control groups. In this study, Pianta child parent relationship scale (CPRS) was used and statistical analysis of covariance with SPSS-16 software was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the mean of the parent-child relationship variable in the family-centered eclectic model group compared to the parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and the control group. Family- centered eclectic model in comparison to the parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) was more effective in improving parent-child relationships in terms of intimacy and dependence. Conclusion: As a result, the eclectic family-centered model can be considered as a more appropriate alternative for psychological interventions to improve the parent-child relationship in mothers of children with autism.