The Effect of Online Parent Training With and Without Coaching Support on the Well-Being of Families of Children With Neurodisabilities: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Jeffrey McCrossin, Ali Filali-Mouhim, Michael Ungar and 6 others
PMID 42533552WHAT IT FOUND
Coached online parent training improved family communication scores more than self-directed training or a resource website.
Self-directed training showed some benefits over control but not consistently. Effects were small and seen only in families who completed most of the program.
Key findings
01The coached group showed a significant improvement in disrupted communication at 5 months compared to baseline and control.
02The self-directed group did not show significant improvements in family well-being compared to control in the fully adjusted models.
03Only 10% to 28% of participants in the intervention groups experienced reliable change in family well-being scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analysis was per-protocol, meaning only families who completed most of the program were included. This excluded many participants who dropped out, potentially biasing the results toward families who were already more engaged or had higher baseline well-being. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have affected parents' ability to engage with the program and influenced family well-being scores. The sample was predominantly female, of European ancestry, and of higher socioeconomic status, limiting generalizability to more diverse populations. Family well-being was an exploratory outcome and was not the primary endpoint of the original registered trial. Diagnoses and eligibility were based on parent report without independent clinical verification.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other public research councils.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that self-directed online parent training is as effective as coached training for improving family well-being. The self-directed group failed to show significant benefits over control in the most rigorous statistical models, and the overall effects were small, with only a minority of participants showing reliable change.