Family intervention for intellectually disabled children

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Abstract
BACKGROUND Resources to address the needs of parents of intellectually disabled children in developing countries are limited. AIMS The efficacy of interactive group psychoeducation on measures of parental attitude towards intellectual disability was assessed in southern India. METHOD Fifty-seven parents randomised to 10 weeks of experimental and control therapy were assessed using the Parental Attitude Scale towards the Management of Intellectual Disability. The pre- and post-intervention measurements were done by a single-blinded rater and compared. RESULTS The intervention group had a statistically significant increase in the outcome scores and clinical improvement in the total parental attitude score, orientation towards child-rearing knowledge towards intellectual disability and attitude towards management of intellectual disability, but no change in attitude towards the intellectual disability subscale. CONCLUSIONS Interactive group psychoeducation is effective for changing the attitude of parents with intellectually disabled children, and is a viable option to be developed in situations where resources are limited.