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EMPOWER-Autism is an online group-based support programme to parents/carers of children recently diagnosed as autistic.
EMPOWER-Autism groups are inclusive non-judgemental virtual spaces where parents/carers come together to share strategies and experiences and to find community.
EMPOWER-Autism groups help parents/carers understand and adjust to the new diagnosis, parent their autistic child well, and stay healthy and well as a parent/carer.
EMPOWER-Autism consists of five 3-hour sessions delivered over Zoom or Teams. Sessions are led by two facilitators who have substantial professional expertise and their own lived experience.
EMPOWER-Autism has been developed by researchers at the University of Manchester and evaluated in a large clinical trial. This showed that parents/carers really value the programme and experienced significant benefits that lasted over the course of a year. This work is published in the academic journals: The Lancet and Sage Journals which can be read by clicking the links in the section below.
“To our knowledge, this is the first fully powered trial to show a statistically and clinically significant sustained effect on mental health in caregivers of newly diagnosed autistic children. In the context of the considerable clinical need in this area, we recommend the use of the Empower-Autism programme to clinicians and policy makers.”
– THE LANCET