A Preliminary Evaluation of a Brief Behavioral Parent Training for Challenging Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 53; no. 8; pp. 2964 - 2974
• Main Authors: Rohacek, Ashley, Baxter, Emily L., Sullivan, William E., Roane, Henry S., Antshel, Kevin M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Attrition; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Behavior Modification; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Care and treatment; Caregivers; Child and School Psychology; Children; Clinical trials; Evaluation; Feeding behavior; Intervention; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Parent Education; Parenthood education; Parenting; Pediatrics; Pervasive developmental disorders; Program Effectiveness; Psychoeducational treatment; Psychology; Public Health; Satisfaction; United States; Behavioral parent training; Sleep; Aggression; Autism spectrum disorder; Challenging behavior; Feeding
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05493-3

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit challenging behaviors. Existing behavioral parent trainings (BPT) address ASD symptomology, but are lengthy and associated with significant attrition. In the current pilot study, a longitudinal randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate a novel brief BPT targeting caregivers of children with ASD ages 5–9. The 6-session BPT, delivered in a group format, focused on high-frequency challenging behaviors (e.g., problem behaviors, feeding and sleep issues). Caregivers who received BPT (
n
 = 29), relative to an active control (psychoeducation/supportive therapy;
n
 = 9), reported higher treatment satisfaction and acceptability. Challenging behaviors were reduced in the BPT and active control groups. The novel BPT was a feasible and acceptable intervention to target challenging behaviors in youth with ASD.