Adapting and pretesting the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training Program for children with autism and developmental disorders or delays in Hong Kong

Abstract

The World Health Organization Caregiver Skills Training Program (WHO-CST) was developed to strengthen caregivers’ skills in supporting children with developmental delays and the caregivers’ well-being. The WHO-CST Hong Kong (HK) was adapted, and pre-pilot tested to support families with children suspected of having developmental delays and autism spectrum disorder and to empower the caregivers to foster their children’s learning, social communication, and adaptive behavior. A sequential mixed-methods research methodology was undertaken to examine the adaptation process and initial implementation experiences. The acceptability, feasibility, and perceived benefits of the WHO-CST were assessed using stakeholders’ and caregivers’ qualitative and caregivers’ quantitative pre- and post-intervention feedback. The data included materials generated from (1) three consultation meetings with stakeholders; (2) detailed reviews of the translated and adapted WHO-CST materials by master trainees (n = 10) trained by the WHO-CST representatives; (3) needs assessment focus group interviews with caregivers (n = 15) of children with autism spectrum disorder; and (4) pre- and post-CST program qualitative focus group interviews and quantitative evaluation. Consultation with stakeholders suggested that the program was acceptable for the local community, but the home visit and fidelity components were initially considered to be challenges towards the feasibility and sustainability of the program. Caregivers in the needs assessment focus groups gave widely diverse views about the program’s uniqueness, length, delivery mode, and the inclusion of videotaping in-home visits. Post-intervention comments by caregivers about the program were mainly positive, while the MTs were critical of the content and length of the training and fidelity process. As one of the first high-income locations to adopt the WHO-CST, the evaluation findings of the WHO-CST-HK indicate that it is feasible and acceptable to implement the program in a metropolitan area where families have busy work schedules and are very conscious of privacy issues. The study results suggest that the WHO-CST program in HK and other high-income countries require scaling up and further evaluation of its implementation in real community settings. This involves systemic and contextual changes to allow task-sharing between professionals and non-specialists at the macro level. Furthermore, technology should be used to support the supervision of non-specialists. In addition, easier access to the WHO-CST materials at the micro level is required to ensure equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion of diversified families of children with developmental delays.

The level and factors associated with caregiver burden among parents of children with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study in southwest China

“…There is compelling evidence that the education is one of the most important sources for caregivers to acquire competency, affecting the perception of stress, resilience and psychological exibility [46]. For this reason, the caregiver skill training was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) aiming to facilitate access to parenting skills and strategies for caregivers of children with developmental delay or disabilities [47][48][49][50].…”

Non-specialist delivery of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training Programme for children with developmental disabilities: Stakeholder perspectives about acceptability and feasibility in rural Ethiopia

“…The WHO CST programme was largely considered acceptable, relevant and feasible in urban settings in Italy, Hong Kong and India ( Salomone et al, 2022 ; Sengupta et al, 2021 ; Wong et al, 2022 ). Its positive impact has also been reported from an urban setting in Serbia ( Glumbic et al, 2022 ).…”