The SPARC Project (Supporting Parent-Adolescent Relationships and Communication)
The SPARC project was designed to test the efficacy for parents, typically developing (TD) siblings, and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) of a psycho-educational and communication training approach to improving family communication and to examine the mechanisms associated with change processes that occur as a result of the 4-week program. Our goal was to increase the availability and affordability of empirically-supported family-systems approaches to reduce stress and conflict in families of individuals with IDD. The program supported the identified needs of families with a child with IDD, improved the well-being and adjustment of parents, increased emotional security and adjustment for TD siblings, and was associated with improvements in adaptive functioning for individuals with IDD. This expectation is supported by promising qualitative evidence and preliminary analyses from a pilot study using this curriculum. We furthermore expect that by providing a family-systems approach to improving the family environment, the program will support the well-being of each family member, including the child with IDD. The specific aims were: (1) determining the efficacy of the program for parents, (2a) determining the efficacy of the program for typically developing siblings, (2b) testing process models, guided by the Emotional Security Theory (EST; Davies & Cummings, 1994), to explain how and why and for whom and when changes occur as a result of the program, and (3) examining the impact of the program on individuals with IDD. Families (n=150) that included a child with IDD and a TD sibling between 10 and 18 years of age, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) parent and typically developing sibling intervention, or (2) resource only control. Multi-method assessments of all family members were obtained at pre- and post-intervention visits, and 6-month and 1-year follow-ups.
Investigator
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William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Professor