Effect of Parent Training on Misconception regarding Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Parental involvement in care and rehabilitation of their children with intellectual disability (ID) or mental retardation (MR) has been given due importance to facilitate children’s emotional, social, language, cognitive and motor skill development. However, misconception among the parents limits their involvement in overall development of children with intellectual disability. Though parent training has been utilized for improving misconception resulting in effective parental involvement, there is limited data available in this regard. In this context, the current study examined the effect of the parent training program on the misconception regarding intellectual disability. The study administered general information, etiology and management (GEM) questionnaire, a 30-point misconception score developed by the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH), Secunderabad, to assess the misconception among the parents. A seven-hour parent training program using manuals developed by the NIMH was administered to the parents spread over a week’s time. The pre- and post-training misconception scores among the parents were 18.8 ± 6.02 and 5.57 ± 3.87 respectively. There was a significant (p < 0.001) difference in the pre- and post-training GEM misconception scores among the parents. The result indicates that the parent training program is effective in reducing misconception (and hence increasing awareness) among the parents regarding the children’s intellectual disability. Study results suggest that parent training should be an integral part of care and rehabilitation services for the children with intellectual disability.