In the UK, parents whose children have been referred for an ADHD assessment often have to wait years before receiving an appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). As well as delayed access to needed treatment, there is a concern that this can exacerbate ADHD symptoms in the child and have a negative impact on their own and their parents’ wellbeing.

In this talk, we will report a qualitative analysis of 41 parents’ accounts of their experiences of time spent on a UK CAMHS waitlist and its impact on them and their child. Each parent had taken part in a trial of a digital intervention designed to support them while on the clinical waitlist and had waited for assessment between seven months and two years; 49% were still waiting to be seen.

Using thematic analysis, an overarching theme of feeling in limbo (i.e., an uncertain state) emerged, with sub themes focusing on; i) “Lack of agency”, and ii) “Negative effects of the wait list experience”, iii) “How to improve things”.

From a practical point of view, while parents told us that while they realised lengthy waitlists were the result of many factors that were hard to influence locally, the worst effects could be mitigated through regular and consistent simple communication from the clinical services regarding their position on the wait list, as well as adequate signposting and aftercare from the services. They said that continuous uncertainty led them to feel a lack of agency in making big decisions for their family, such as saving for a private diagnosis or getting better support from school.

Overall, parents wanted to feel seen and validated by the services and regular contact was key to establishing this. Implications for changes in the way services engage in patient communication will be discussed.

We investigated factors associated with the support and service receipt patterns of Kenyan and Ethiopian caregivers for their children with developmental disabilities.

Trained research staff collected data from 679 caregivers of children with developmental disabilities across geographical clusters in three sites: Addis Ababa-Ethiopia, Nairobi- Kenya, and Kilifi-Kenya. We examined, separately for each site, associations between caregiver and child characteristics and caregiver-reported receipt of i) any supports/services and ii) specific diagnostic assessment services, using sequential unadjusted and adjusted GLM models with a log link function and robust standard errors that accounted for clustering.

Across sites, the most frequently reported support/services received were diagnostic assessments (>43%) and medications (>34%), whereas special education (<7%) and behavioural therapy (<2%) were rarely reported. In Kenya, endorsements of physical therapy were also high (>42%).

In Addis Ababa-Ethiopia, prior contact with a health worker about developmental concerns (Risk Ratio 1.33, 95% CI 1.11-1.59) and the sub-city of residence (1.19, 1.05-1.35) were associated with an increased probability of receiving any form of support/service, whereas the child’s age when caregivers first had concerns was inversely associated with overall support/service receipt (0.95, 0.91-1.00). All three variables were also similarly significantly associated with the receipt of diagnostic assessments: Prior contact (1.39, 1.08-1.79); residential sub-city (1.02, 1.00-1.03), and age at first concern (0.93, 0.88-0.99).

In Nairobi-Kenya, the residential sub-county was associated with an increased probability of receiving any form of support/service (1.20, 1.04 -1.38) and a diagnostic assessment (1.70, 1.32-2.17).

In Kilifi-Kenya, the child’s age when caregivers first had concerns was associated with a reduced probability of overall support/service receipt (0.72; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.85). There were no significant associations with receiving diagnostic assessments.

These results represent important steps in elucidating service receipt patterns in these areas that may inform future research and public health efforts.

Objective. The number of cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing significantly. The ASD affects the whole family and parenting programs (PP) are one of the most effective means to support parents and children. In that one might hardly find any positive PP for parents who raise children with ASD, they usually participate in general PP. However, it is unclear how participating in general PP is important for parents, how their psychological and social needs are responded.

The purpose of the present study is to reveal whether (and if yes, how) participation in the general positive PP can be significant for parents who raise a child with ASD.

Methodology. The qualitative research was conducted. Participants were 8 parents who raise a child with ASD and completed STEP or Incredible Years program. The data was collected using a semi-structured interview from May 2023 to January 2024. Data was analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological analysis method by Colaizzi (1978).

Results. The analysis of interviews showed that parents felt openness and equivalence in the group. Parents highlighted unity with other PP parents – they felt not alone in facing difficulties. Participants noticed significant personal and/or personality changes: they strengthened self-confidence as a parent, changed attitude towards the difficulties of parenting and found ways to help themselves in complicated situations. Parents talked about the use of respectful parenting methods such as: better understanding of the child, agreements, encouragement of desired behavior and development of independence. They emphasized creativity in relationship with a child.

Conclusion. Participation in the general positive PP was significant for parents with children with ASD. Parents shared about relevant personality and behavior changes, their efforts to adapt the PP methods individually for their families.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, and social skills, which manifest in early childhood and persist throughout lifespan. These challenges significantly affect children’s and adolescents’ ability to establish and maintain peer relationships. Research indicates that individuals with ASD frequently experience social exclusion, rejection, and bullying due to these difficulties. Consequently, there has been a growing emphasis on intervention programs designed to enhance social skills and facilitate friendships among children and adolescents with ASD. The main goal of this study is to adapt the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), an evidence-based intervention aimed at improving the social and friendship skills of adolescents with ASD, into Turkish and to evaluate its effectiveness. PEERS has been implemented in many countries, demonstrating positive outcomes based on reports from adolescents, parents, and teachers. Research findings indicate improvements in social skills, peer relationships, empathy, and social awareness, alongside reductions in depression, anxiety, and loneliness. This study is particularly important as it represents the first evidence-based, parent-supported intervention program for ASD in Turkey.

The PEERS program is a 14-week intervention consisting of weekly 90-minute sessions. Concurrent adolescent and parent sessions were conducted in different rooms. The sample comprises 90 adolescents diagnosed with ASD based on DSM-5 criteria, aged between 12 and 18 years (85% male; M = 14.5). Participants were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 45) or a wait-list control group (n = 45). Data collection involved pre- and post-test assessments, including demographic surveys, social skills measures, frequency of social activities, and assessments of depression and anxiety. Data analysis is currently in progress. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for future scientific research and practical applications in the field of ASD interventions.