There is not a lot of research focusing on Black and African American families raising young children with developmental delays. While the investigators know that early intervention helps children and their families, Black children with developmental delays are less likely to access such services. The causes for these racial disparities are largely unknown. Researchers have recommended caregiver support programming while on waitlists to improve caregiver-provider interactions and caregiver knowledge of the diagnostic process and developmental delays. Once a child is referred to a clinic for developmental concerns, long appointment waitlists contribute to further delays in timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as parental distress. Support programs for waitlisted families can begin to address these challenges. In this study, the investigators will examine a program called Parents Taking Action with families on a waitlist for a specialty developmental evaluation. The investigators will study if the program is feasible in this setting, if participants like the program, and if child and parent outcomes improve after participants have completed the program.

Partners at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) School of Medicine (SOM), School of Social Work (SSW), and community collaborators will pilot an intervention focused on Black and African-American children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (hereafter, autism) and other developmental delays. The research fills several gaps in the academic literature. First, there is a dearth of intervention research focusing on Black families raising young children with autism. Early intervention significantly improves child and family outcomes across childhood and into adulthood. Yet, Black children with autism are less likely to access such services. Even when controlling for socioeconomic status, racial disparities in autism and developmental disability diagnoses and services persist. The causes for these socioeconomic and racial disparities are largely unknown. Researchers have recommended caregiver support programming while on waitlists to improve caregiver-provider interactions and caregiver knowledge of the diagnostic process; yet, such interventions have not been described in the literature.

SSW researchers led a community-based trial to adapt a peer-led intervention, Parents Taking Action, for low-income Black families raising children with autism in Baltimore. The psychoeducational and child behavior management intervention, led by trained Parent Leaders, is unique in that it considers families' cultural and socioeconomic characteristics. Our social work team worked closely with our community advisory board to make cultural adaptations to the manual for use in Baltimore with a majority Black population. Our social work team has since further adapted the program to deliver content in two six-week modules (12 weeks total).

Despite the social work team's efforts to understand and address racial autism disparities, a wholly community-based model has limitations. Once a child is referred to a clinic for developmental concerns, long appointment waitlists contribute to further delays in timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as parental distress. Wait times also contribute to appointment absenteeism, which further delays timely access to care. A study suggested support programs for waitlisted families can begin to address these challenges. In total, these studies have suggested an integrated community-clinical model can provide critical supports to children and their families while on a waitlist and strengthen connections between families and clinical providers. Thus, this project will test the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term outcomes of a peer-led program, Parents Taking Action with a clinical sample.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Parent or other primary caregiver of a child age eight years or younger on University of Maryland Baltimore, Developmental-Behavioral waiting list for autism or developmental concerns
• Identify self or child as Black or African American.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parent or other primary caregiver is younger than 18 years old

19 people began the intervention; however, only 15 completed the intervention. The results here are based on 15 participants.

We collected data on all participants while they were enrolled in the study, which lasted through completion of baseline data until post-intervention data collection (approximately 12 weeks). This single-arm was minimal risk and only involved participants engaging in a psychoeducational parenting program. In order to reduce risks and promote participant safety, we developed a Safety Plan for any emergencies or distress, as well as a Resource List for any parents seeking additional support.

In the event a participant experienced emotional distress related to completing the questionnaires, the participant was asked to report the reaction to research staff. We anticipated the reactions were likely be rare, given the measures were widely utilized in clinical and research settings. However, in the event they occurred, the study team was prepared to address them on a case-by-case basis (e.g., referral to psychological services).