Effectiveness of the Military Spouse Online Autism Relocation Readiness Mentor Training Program

Background:

Military families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges related to being a military family and challenges related to being a family who has a child with ASD; and during relocation, these challenges result in a build-up of stressors (Davis & Finke, 2015a). Qualitative studies of the experiences of military spouses with children with ASD found spouses reported delayed access to therapeutic services, limited providers accepting their insurance, a lack of IEP continuity, emotional and behavioral reactions from their children with ASD, and increased stress as a result of relocating (Davis & Finke, 2015a; Davis et al., 2016; Freuler & Baranek & Baranek, 2016). Some of these difficulties have been echoed in government reports (e.g., Ohio State University Project Team, 2011) and in interviews with military family support personnel (Aronson et al., 2016). Military spouses with children with ASD have stated relocations remove them from the community they have established and leave them feeling isolated (Davis & Finke, 2015a; Freuler & Baranek & Baranek, 2016). One support that may be an effective way to meet support needs of military families with children with ASD is distance peer mentoring. In distance peer mentoring, the mentor has characteristics similar to the mentee and provides emotional, affirmational, and informational support through technology-mediated communication (Dennis, 2003). Other parent groups have reported benefits from participating in distance peer support groups. For example, reviews of online social support groups for parents summarized benefits such as sharing personal experiences, receiving empathy and encouragement, and sharing feelings (Doty & Dworkin, 2014; Niela-Vilen, Axelin, Salantera, & Melender, 2014). Further, other parents of children with ASD have reported benefits of online social support such as encouragement, sharing resources and experiences, and having a connection with others who are similar (Huws, Jones, & Ingledew, 2001).

Objectives:

The main objective of this investigation was to examine the effectiveness of the military spouse online autism relocation readiness mentor training program on military spouse knowledge of training content.

Methods:

A quasi-experimental design, specifically a non-equivalent group pretest-posttest, was used to determine the effect of an online mentor training program on comprehension of program materials. Pretest-posttest quasi-experimental designs are frequently used to evaluate training programs (Bernard, 2013) and are very common designs in the social sciences (Trochim, 2006). However, determining an appropriate research design requires balancing experimental rigor with the purpose of the research and logistical constraints. Since limited research exists for military families regarding peer mentor training, a quasi-experimental design was appropriate to investigate possible outcomes while conserving resources often required for experimental studies.

Results:

Approximately 29 military spouses participated in either the training or control group for the online mentorship training program. Data analysis is currently on-going, but preliminary results suggest the online training was effective at teaching military spouses with children with autism mentoring protocols and strategies.

Conclusions:

Data analysis is currently on-going, but conclusions may impact clinical service providers, military programming and providers, and laws and policies.