Table 1 E-PAtS group sessions: content overview

1

Getting started

Emotional and wellbeing needs of parents/caregivers together with the development of a family system of support.

• Introduction to the programme.

• Establishes group process.

• Provide advice and strategies to support access to professional services and financial supports for families and their children.

2

Looking after you and your child

As session 1.

• Discuss emotional vulnerabilities and needs of caregivers of children with ID. Provide advice and strategies to support service access.

• Empower parents/caregivers to develop self-management and social support systems and build resilience over the long term.

3

Sleep

Supporting caregiver knowledge and confidence in responding to child-focussed areas of difficulty that are also associated with poor outcomes for caregivers and families of young children with ID.

• Facilitate supportive dialogues, provide advice and identify strategies to support caregivers to help their child sleep. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.

4

Interaction and communication

As session 3.

• Facilitate supportive dialogues, provide advice and strategies to help children acquire effective functional communication. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.

5

Fostering life skills through active development

As session 3.

• Facilitate supportive dialogues, provide advice and strategies for development of a range of children’s adaptive skills. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.

6

Responding to challenges (1)

As session 3.

• Reinforce previous session content.

• Facilitate supportive dialogues and provide additional curriculum to help caregivers prevent and address challenging behaviour currently displayed by their child or that they may be at risk of developing in future. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.

7

Responding to challenges (2)

As session 3.

• Reinforce previous session content.

• Facilitate supportive dialogues, and provide additional curriculum to help caregivers prevent and address challenging behaviour currently displayed by their child or that they may be at risk of developing in future. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.

8

Bringing it all together

Final session to bring together content from all previous sessions and to support the application of programme learning.

• Further expansion of previous content in relation to support in relation to both building systems of family support and safeguarding the emotional wellbeing of parents/caregivers. Consideration of caregiver wellbeing within this context.