Association for Behavior Analysis International

Autistic children commonly present with difficulties in communication and social interactions and are at risk for developing dangerous problem behavior (Doehring et al., 2014). These difficulties and risks can increase as children age (Gray, 2006; Ingersoll & Hambrick, 2011). As a result, caregivers of these children experience increased stress and challenges in providing care. Caregiver reports and surveys indicate a need for training to address their child's specific challenges and support to cope with associated stress (Lai & Oei, 2014). This symposium comprises four studies to improve the lives of caregivers and their autistic children. Studies focused on training caregivers to teach skills or address problem behavior with their children and evaluated caregiver-related outcomes. Study results suggest that clinical providers consider the care and wellness of the children they serve and their caregivers.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts; Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts; Therapists; Practitioners Audience members should have a general understanding of caregiver training, behavior skills training, and common symptomology of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, stress, poor overall well-being, and difficulty with adaptive coping, particularly when their child also engages in challenging behavior. As such, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which encourages psychological flexibility and mindfulness, is particularly suited for this population. The current study examined the feasibility and acceptability of implementing virtual ACT groups with parents of children with ASD and co-occurring challenging behavior. Participants attended an in-person intake interview, six virtual ACT group sessions, and two in-person individualized parent training sessions to learn behavior management techniques and practice implementing behavioral intervention when faced with treatment challenges. Participants included 10 parents across three different groups; however, only six completed all post-study measures. Participants who completed all study measures demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in psychological flexibility and reduction in stress, and perceived the intervention to be highly acceptable. Findings suggest that participating in six virtual group sessions may not be feasible for all parents of children with ASD and challenging behavior. However, the intervention produced positive treatment outcomes for participants completing all study measures, suggesting that this intervention should be adapted to improve feasibility and promote accessibility for this population.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a debilitating mental health illness, consisting of persistent cognitions, feelings of detachment, and severe dysfunction surrounding an individual’s daily life (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). Most often PTSD is associated with being a victim of a violent crime, exposure to combat situations, and/or experiencing natural disasters (Breslau, 2009; National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). However, exposure to traumatic events is the key variable which results in a formal diagnosis of PTSD. We investigated how the severe challenging behavior children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and related neurodevelopmental disorders impact their caregivers, specifically if it results in PTSD symptomology. The presence of PTSD symptomology could influence a caregiver’s ability to adhere to treatment recommendations thus affecting a child’s intervention for challenging behavior. By better understanding the potential association between the challenging behaviors caregivers encounter and the presence or absence of PTSD, the most appropriate and effective resources can be accessed.

Extensive research demonstrates that behavioral skills training (BST) is effective in training a wide range of skills, including training parents to implement behavior analytic teaching methods. In a literature review, the feedback component of BST was often not technologically described, which hinders potential replications of BST studies. A technological definition of feedback would include when and where it is delivered, what is delivered, how and by whom it is delivered, and how many feedback statements are given, with specific examples of the feedback given. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of preferred vocal and textual feedback in behavioral skills training delivered via a video conference application. A secondary goal was to serve as a technological application and description of feedback. An alternating treatment, nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across 2 parents of children with autism was used to teach two craft activities. Reliability measures were collected on the dependent and independent variables and were above 90%. Results did not suggest that one feedback condition was more effective or efficient than the other. A post-study, social validity survey indicated that parents valued the training and were confident in their ability to perform the activities they learned.