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Families Moving Forward Project
Core Function: Research and Evaluation
The purpose of the Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program is to develop, implement, and provide a tests of efficacy of an innovative model of behavioral consultation intervention for families raising school-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This project also provides research and clinical experience to multiple undergraduates, graduates, post-graduates, and post-doctoral fellows.
The FMF Program provides much-needed information on the efficacy of a flexible, individualized yet manualized intervention for the surprisingly large population of school-aged children with FASD and behavior problems and their families. This project is one of the first to create and systematically test strategies for intervention with an underserved, diverse, yet large population of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and the families who raise them. As part of a five-member collaborative research group funded by the Centers for Disease Control, this project is also contributing to a larger national common descriptive data set.
The research project has completed its first phase of funding, with an initial test of efficacy revealing promising findings. In this first phase, the behavioral consultation model was designed and staffed, the infrastructure was created, intervention training was conducted, subjects were identified and enrolled, and intervention activities were completed and participants seen for follow-up. This was a randomized controlled trial, with an intervention and comparison group (N=52). Intervention activities were based at the University of Washington. There was 92-96% treatment compliance with the basic model in the intervention group, a very high participation rate for behavioral treatment. All child subjects and 96% of caregivers were seen at follow up. Among other findings, in comparison to the group receiving community care, at initial follow-up the intervention group reported decreased child disruptive behavior, increased sense of parenting efficacy, and more family needs met. Parents in the intervention group indicated high rates of treatment satisfaction and acceptability.
The research project is now in its second phase of funding. In this phase, the intervention has been transitioned to the community and is being conducted within a project partnership. Research activities are taking place at Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington, intervention activities are based at the Institute for Family Development (a home-based counseling agency that serves Washington State and also conducts training on evidence-based interventions), and NOFAS Washington state (a family support and advocacy group) is integrally involved to provide information on community resources and familybased input on the intervention. In this second test of the model, all participants have been recruited and are actively involved in intervention activities. A needs assessment and estimation of the costs of this intervention will take place as part of this second funding phase. This project continues to be part of the larger CDC collaborative intervention research program.
The findings of this project are being disseminated through publications and research presentations at the Research Society on Alcoholism, Society for Research on Child Development, American Psychiatry Association, Institute on Psychiatric Services, American Public Health Association and other research groups; to professionals in a variety of disciplines that are working to improve clinical care of children with FASD and their families; in academic presentations across the US and in Canada; and to family groups.
More Information
Families Moving Forward Website |
