Implementing an intervention to address challenging behaviors for autism spectrum disorder in publicly-funded mental health services: Therapist and parent perceptions of delivery with Latinx families.

OBJECTIVES: As implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in publicly funded children's mental health services has become increasingly common, concerns have been raised about the appropriateness of specific EBPs to the diverse client populations served in these settings. Exploring stakeholder perspectives can provide direction for refinements of EBPs when delivered with Latinx families. The current study used qualitative methods to examine therapist and Latinx parent perceptions of therapist-parent interactions and the intervention process when therapists are trained to deliver AIM HI ( An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD ), a structured, parent-mediated intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

METHOD: Therapist and parent participants were a subset of participants from a large-scale community effectiveness trial. Perceptions were gathered through focus groups with therapists ( n = 17) and semistructured interviews with Latinx parents ( n = 29). Therapists were 94% female, 35% Latinx, and 47% were fluent in Spanish. Parents were 93% female, 100% Latinx, and 66% preferred Spanish. A coding, consensus, co-occurrence and comparison approach was used to analyze data.

RESULTS: Three primary themes emerged: (a) limited parental knowledge about ASD and the need to address knowledge gaps; (b) differing perceptions regarding parental participation in treatment; and (c) identification of influences on parent-therapist interaction, including the cultural value of respeto /deference (emphasized by therapists), and importance of personalismo /personal connection (emphasized by parents).

CONCLUSIONS: The themes provide specific direction for enhancements to AIM HI to maximize engagement of Latinx families. The themes also have broader implications for intervention development and community implementation including refinement of EBPs to facilitate fit and sustained implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).