Committee Secretary
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
By e-mail: autism.sen@aph.gov.au
Covering Letter
I am Carol Markie-Dadds and am writing in my capacity as the Country Director for Triple P International in Australia. Triple P International disseminates the Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, which is a parenting and family support system that prevents - as well as treats - childhood behavioural and emotional problems. Triple P is the world’s most extensively researched family skills training programi and this substantial body of research and widespread real-world use points to it achieving outcomes including: Improved mental health for children as well as reduced stress, anxiety and depression for parents Reduced child behavioural problems, including in children with conduct disorders and
ADHD
Stronger parent relationships and reduced parental conflict Reduced child abuse, neglect and maltreatment Improved educational outcomes Improved emotional wellbeing and resilience. We were pleased by both the establishment of a Senate Select Committee and Inquiry into autism, and the breadth of its terms of reference. We believe a comprehensive look at how we can do better for children and adults with autism, and their families and communities, is timely. Our program, Stepping Stones Triple P (for families with children with a developmental disability), was developed expressly for this purpose. The attached Australian research looked at the program’s effectiveness by measuring outcomes across child behaviour, parenting skills, parental stress, anxiety and depression. It also examined the cost effectiveness of implementing Stepping Stones Triple P, which produced a cost saving for families of $5 7 4 per family per year (primarily due to increased capacity of parents to return to work).
Triple P International Pty Ltd A11N 11019rns11 11 Market Street North, lndooroopilly Qld 4068 PO Box 1300 Milton Qld 4064 Australia I
Children with a developmental disability (such as autism) are three to four times more likely than other children to experience significant emotional and behavioural problems. These problems, unaddressed, have immense impacts on the individual and their families, such as threats to physical health, restricted access to education, and exclusion from the community.
Importantly, for many parents the severity of their child’s mental health and behavioural problems has a bigger effect on their own mental health than the severity of their child’s disability. Despite this, only 10 percent of families with children with severe behaviour problems access expert help.
The consequences include heightened parental distress, higher use of respite services, parents relinquishing care of their children, increased family isolation and exclusion from community, and higher levels of financial stress.
This submission puts forward the case for:
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Broader access to evidence-based family and parenting support for children with developmental disabilities,
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A mechanism through the NDIS for organisations to be funded to organise and deliver evidence-based group programs
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Strategies to overcome practical barriers to access to evidence-based parenting and family support program, such as through online and telephone support
Given the broad impacts of unaddressed behavioural and emotional problems on individuals with autism, their families, and use of other social and health services, the attached research paper and recommendations relate primarily to Terms of Reference D through to K which broadly address:
- international best practice
- demand and adequacy of services
- interaction with other core social and health services
- social and economic costs of inadequate or inappropriate service provision
- adequacy and efficacy of the NDIS for autistic people
- National Autism Strategy and National Disability Strategy
- adequacy of research funding into Autism
- social inclusion and participation of autistic people in the economy and community In addition, you may be interested to hear from parents with first-hand experience of Stepping Stones Triple P. Here are a few testimonials for your consideration.
Cathy, Gold Coast
(Cathy’s six- year-old son has autism and was hitting, scratching and having meltdowns during shopping trips.)
[Stepping Stones] Triple P showed us ways to control the behaviour and taught us that getting into a routine would make our lives easier and better. It all sounded so simple and the best part was that once we put into practice what we were taught at each session, it did actually work! Before Triple P we devoted every waking minute to Robert… I thought the only meaningful thing I would do with my life would be looking after Robert. Triple P taught me that I could still contribute to the community and they showed me how important it was that I make time for myself and still have time for Robert.
Triple P International Pty Ltd
Michelle, mother of 6-year-old Declan ( diagnosed with autism) “Declan had a lot of anxiety, and when he was angry or frustrated he didn’t know how to express it and would have tantrums instead. He was starting to hit and scratch me and we couldn’t even take
him out. I was isolated at home. I wish I could show you what Declan is like today and how much
he has changed from when we began the Stepping Stones Triple P program. You wouldn’t think he was the same child.
Heather Jorgenson, Guidance Officer, Queensland state school
The thing I’ve found most significant and useful about Stepping Stones Triple P is that it has shown me how to empower parents to become problem solvers. It is about teaching parents strategies and supporting them; it is about having pre and post assessment tools and helping parents monitor differences; it is about parents feeling confident in dealing with difficulties and finding solutions. I would recommend Stepping Stones Triple P to any practitioner involved in helping parents of children with disabilities.
I trust you find the above information and attach paper helpful in your considerations. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you wish to explore this submission and the role of evidence-based parenting and family support programs such as Stepping Stones Triple P in the effective management of autism. Yours sincerely
Carol Markie-Dadds
Country Director -Australia
i The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2009). Compilation of evidence-based family skills training programmes. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/documents/prevention/family-compilation.pdf