Stepping Stones Triple P and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy: Trial Protocol Koa Whittingham, 1,2 Matthew Sanders, 2 Lynne McKinlay, 3 and Roslyn N. Boyd 1 1 Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 2 Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 3 Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service, Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia This project aims to optimise outcomes for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families by testing the efficacy of two complementary interventions novel to the CP population: (1) parenting intervention (Stepping Stones Triple P, SSTP); and (2) parental stress management (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT) tailored for parents of children with CP. The efficacy of SSTP and the additional effects of ACT will be tested in a wait-list randomised controlled trial, with par- ents of children with CP (N = 110) randomised into three groups; SSTP, SSTP + ACT and wait-list control. Intervention delivery will combine group sessions with phone consultations. Outcomes will be assessed post-intervention with retention of effect examined at 6-month follow-up. Child outcomes will include: externalis- ing behaviour (primary child outcome), functional performance, parent-reported child quality of life; and parent outcomes will include: dysfunctional parenting (primary parent outcome), parental confidence in performing disability-related parenting practices, degree of problems in performing disability-related parenting practices, parental adjustment, psychological flexibility and parental attitude to child emotions. The theoretical background, study design and study procedures are discussed. The validation of a parenting intervention and a parenting stress intervention for parents of children with CP is crucial to better support parents of children with CP in their parenting role and in providing evidence-based interven- tion for behavioural and emotional problems in children with CP. Keywords: parenting, behavioural family intervention, cerebral palsy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness Parenting a Child with Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in childhood (Rosenbaum, 2003) with a total of 2.0–2.5 of every 1000 live-born children being diagnosed with CP (Australian and New Zealand Perinatal Societies, 1995) and approxi- mately 600–700 infants born with CP in Australia each year at a cost of A$40.5 million annually to Address for correspondence: Dr Koa Whittingham, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Level 7, Block 6, RBWH Herston, Brisbane, 4029, Australia. E-mail: koawhittingham@uq.edu.au provide health care, and further costs of A$128.6 million in informal care, including parental care (Access Economics, 2007). The clinical hallmark of CP is abnormal motor control and muscle tone in the absence of an underlying progressive disease, and there is an increased risk of other disabilities, such as intellectual impairments, sensory impair- ments and epilepsy (Hincliffe, 2007). It is well BRAIN IMPAIRMENT VOLUME 14 NUMBER 2SEPTEMBER pp. 270–280 c  The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 doi: 10.1017/BrImp.2013.19 270