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Parents of children who receive the diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) experience a situational crisis. This paper describes a randomized trial (n=31) that was conducted at a regional diagnostic center to a) refine a nursing intervention designed for parents of children with ASD and (b) to identify methodological revisions for a larger study. A secondary purpose was to test the effects of a post-diagnosis nursing intervention on parents' reports of stress, impact of event, and use of services after a child is newly diagnosed with ASD. Parent age ranged from 33-49 years and the 11 male and 4 female children ages ranged from 2-5 yrs. The intervention consisted of usual care plus three hours contact with a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)for counseling, instruction, and assistance with implementation of recommended treatment plan. The control group received only the usual care post-diagnosis which consisted of a one hour consultation session to receive the results of diagnostic tests and a written copy of the recommended treatment plan provided by a developmental pediatrician and/or PNP. Data were collected at baseline and 3 months. The most urgent needs of parents were for emotional support from a professional with expert knowledge and guidance to individualize the treatment plan. Analysis of group differences were conducted on Perceived Stress and Impact of Events. The differences between groups in measures of “impact of event” and “perceived stress” were not statistically significant. This was attributed to a small sample size. A larger study is recommended with an expanded nursing intervention and a significantly larger sample recruited from an additional recruitment site. Nurses working with this special population must recognize that parents have information and counseling needs that begin after they receive the diagnosis of ASD for their child and can address these needs with a standardized nursing intervention.