Westmead Feelings Program
This page is a research page on Kids Research. For education information, please view our Westmead Feelings Program page on the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network education hub website.
Education hub website
The Westmead Feelings Program is an emotion-based learning program for autistic children. They participate in research as a part of the Kids Mental Health Research group at Kids Research based at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. As a world first evidence-based mental health program designed to support the unique learning style of autistic children with cognitive disability, their research works to ensure every child with autism (autism spectrum disorder) has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
We generate suites of therapeutic materials that health, education and disability professionals use to support autistic children, and develop cultures of emotional learning around the child by providing parents and teachers with skills to be emotion coaches at home and school.
Objective
In line with our mission to innovate, research and disseminate best practice interventions to promote mental health and wellbeing of autistic young people, our vision is focused upon continuously expanding and strengthening the evidence for the Westmead Feelings Program, as well as research dissemination and program development.
Impact
- We evaluated the Westmead Feelings Program in two controlled trials in 64 Department of Education Schools across metropolitan, rural, and regional NSW. 64 school counsellors were trained and certified as Westmead Feelings Program Facilitators and delivered the program to over 300 children, their families, and teachers. We found that the Westmead Feelings Program significantly improves children’s emotional competence skills, with large effect sizes comparing treatment to control groups, improvements in children’s behaviour and social skills, and reductions in symptoms of child anxiety and depression.
Collaborators
