Tonge, B., Brereton, A, Kiomall, M., Mackinnon, A., & Rinehart, N. J. (2014). A randomised group comparison controlled trial of ‘preschoolers with autism’: A parent education and skills training intervention for young children with autistic disorder. Autism, 18(2), 166-177.
Reviewed by: James Maraventano
Rutgers University
Why research this topic?
Parent training has been found to reduce parents’ stress and improve their interactions with their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but effects of parent training on child outcomes have been mixed, with some studies reporting improvements in child outcomes but others not detecting changes. The present study was intended to provide additional information on child outcomes as a result of different models of parent training. It compared parent education and counselling (PEAC) to parent education and behavior management skills training (PEBM) to determine if parent education alone (PEAC) would improve the child’s communicative and social skills, or if adding a specific parent skills training and coaching component (PEBM) produced better results.
What did the researchers do?
Participants were 103 Australian families of preschool-age children diagnosed with ASD. Families were of diverse social class and ethnic backgrounds. Intervention families were randomly assigned into either PEBM (n = 35) or PEAC (n = 33). There was also a control group (n = 35) that was not randomly assigned and that received neither PEAC nor PEBM. Children were 30 – 68 months old and were receiving community “business as usual” services including preschool, early intervention and speech and/or occupational therapy. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) was utilized for pre and post treatment measurement of communication, daily living, social, and motor skills, and problem behavior. Other pre and post implementation measures included the Autism Screening Algorithm and Total Problem Behavior Score from the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC).
What did the research find?
PEBM was superior to the control group in improving communication, socialization and daily living skills for children with greater delays in these skills at pre-treatment. PEAC was also superior to the control group in improving socialization skills. PEBM but not PEAC was superior to the control group in reducing ASD symptoms. PEBM was superior to PEAC in improving motor skills. The PEBM, PEAC and control groups did not differ significantly on other outcome measures.
What are the strengths and limitations of the study?
This is one of the largest studies available on parent training to increase adaptive behaviors in children with ASD. The study is limited by the non-random assignment to the control group. While another potential limitation to the study is that results are based on parent report, the authors assert that the VABS and the DBC correspond greatly to direct assessments and were structured and conducted by experienced clinicians.
What do the results mean?
Children of parents who received parent education along with behavior management skills training (PEBM) generally had better outcomes than children in parent education alone (PEAC). Both PEBM and PEAC appeared more effective than a no-treatment control. These results suggest that programs such as PEBM should be offered to parents of children with ASD. This study extends previous research on child outcomes as affected by parent training and supports the addition of parental education and skills training to early intervention programming for children with ASD.
Citation for this article:
Maraventano, J. (2017). Research synopses: A randomised group comparison controlled trial of ‘preschoolers with autism’. Science in Autism Treatment, 14(2), 24-25.
