Adapting and piloting WHO's Parent Skills Training for caregivers of children with developmental disorders in Ethiopia

Developmental disorders including intellectual disability and autism are common worldwide and have a large impact on the lives of the individuals concerned and their families. Providing adequate support for children with developmental disorders is a major challenge, especially for low- and middle-income countries, where health service facilities and trained personnel are lacking. To address this gap the World Health Organization has developed a low-cost, scalable Parent Skills Training (PST) for caregivers of children with developmental disorders. The PST, consisting of 9 group sessions and 3 home visits, teaches strategies to promote communication and learning and address challenging behaviours. Funded by Autism Speaks and the Medical Research Council (UK), this research project assesses the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the PST in urban and rural Ethiopia.