Restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRB) are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may include arm or hand-flapping, spinning or twirling, repetitive activities involving the senses (such as repeatedly feeling a particular texture or listening to the same song), repeating favourite phrases (even if they do not match the context) or insisting on a daily routine like having exactly the same snacks for lunch and not accepting change. While RRB can help children with autism manage and express their feelings, some RRB cause distress for the child and their family, interfere with learning and make it more difficult to interact with others. Currently there is no parent group-based intervention targeting challenging RRB for young children with ASD, as most ASD parent groups focus on social communication skills. We have developed, with parents and professionals, a new parent-based group intervention, called Managing Repetitive Behaviours (MRB), that focuses on identification, understanding and management of challenging RRB in young children with ASD.

Parents taking part in this trial will be allocated to either the MRB parent group or Learning About Autism group run by the National Autistic Society. Having two different groups will allow us to find out whether MRB (new intervention with strategies specific to challenging RRB) or Learning About Autism group (established approach with more general strategies) is more effective.

Please explore the links in the sidebar for further information about participating in the MRB Study.