The Importance of Family Involvement

Journal 3

Further experience at my internship site and in my classes this semester has led me to more of a solidified plan for my final project. These past two weeks, I have observed within my clients’ families and their own selves an abundance of potential factors that may become barriers to their treatment of autism. Autism cannot be treated; there is no cure at the present time for autism but people with this diagnosis can certainly be helped. I mentioned in my previous journals a little bit about how familial involvement influences behaviors and behavioral treatment, and would like to emphasize this again, accompanied by additional factors that have been detected lately.

Familial involvement in treatment, as I have noticed, can make or break intervention. As with any situation, if courage and support from their surroundings are not provided, an individual will not flourish. This is especially true in the case of a family with a child with autism. All therapies can be conducted efficiently, but the substantial amount of time that the individual is at home must be spent accordingly as it affects a child’s success in life and in treatment.

I have one client whose family appears to be unavailable to the client’s needs and is therefore unwilling to modify their behavior to benefit their child. This can be defined as resistance to change and is defined by others as “a natural reaction to change” (Kogen, 2022) and something that is “rarely irrational.” (Tanner, 2023) As stated, unfortunately, such resistance to change is oftentimes inevitable, but with the correct resources, can develop into a healthier response to diagnoses.

I have another client whose family is extremely involved and motivated. They are always intervening, attending webinars, and conducting their own research to discover how they can help their child. I have also noted that this influences the child’s motivation, and therefore, his eagerness to work. A study by Blackwell et. Al discovered a similar finding through interviews with thirty-six caregivers, all of whom “need an accessible approach that they have full control over, and which they can tailor for their child. Caregivers also need clear guidance, education and support around structure and flexibility.” (Blackwell et. Al, 2021) This psychosocial approach will allow for a modified attitude and therefore, more appropriate treatment.

Of course, training of the public and of the medical and professional field is dually important. Our topic this week in my Child Psychopathology course this week was, coincidentally, autism. I found it shocking and disappointing that the professor let us out early because we “probably already knew enough about autism.” I knew very little about what autism entailed before getting into the field of ABA, and I assume that is the same for most of the population. Without proper education, how can we as a community provide appropriate resources, guidance, and support to those in need? Another study by Cremin et. Al “addressed a gap in the knowledge base and literature in relation to evidence for autism awareness programs for young people.” (Cremin et. Al, 2021) This, I imagine, can be generalized to much of the population. This lack of resources “presents some emerging evidence for their effectiveness in changing knowledge, attitude, and intentional behaviors.” (2021) This demands a change in education and awareness so that we can help the autism community: those with the diagnosis and those directly affected by it as well. For this reason, I plan to look more into autism awareness opportunities for my future career and for my final project in the coming weeks.

References

Blackwell, S., Zylberberg, A., Scerif, G., Miller, S., & Woodcock, K. A. (2021). Understanding the psycho-social context for a new early intervention for resistance to change that aims to strike a beneficial balance between structure and flexibility. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 621. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03519-1

Cremin, K., Healy, O., Spirtos, M., & Quinn, S. (2021). Autism Awareness Interventions for Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 33(1), 27–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-020-09741-1

Kogan, V. (2022, October 12). Council post: Three tips for managing resistance to change. Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/06/15/three-tips-for-managing-resistance-to-change/?sh=2a8febe2642b

Tanner, R. (2023). Organizational change: 8 reasons why people resist change. Management is a Journey® – Helping you with the people side of the business™. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://managementisajourney.com/organizational- change-8-reasons-why-people-resist-change/