Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) are considered one of the best practices for autistic children and their families. Most NDBIs include a component of providing training and/or coaching to caregivers to enhance skill acquisition and generalization. The procedures to implement these NDBIs are often clearly delineated in…

A systematic review and meta-analysis were utilised to explore the methodological quality, program fidelity, and efficacy of social skills group programs (SSGPs) aiming to support autistic adolescents in navigating their everyday social worlds. The study evaluated the methodological quality and theoretical fidelity of studies, with a random effect…

Caregiver-mediated interventions for young autistic children are increasingly considered standard of care. These interventions share two sets of components: strategies to improve children's communication, behavior, and development; and procedures to coach caregivers to implement those strategies. To date, no review has examined how caregiver…

Caregiver-mediated interventions for young autistic children are increasingly considered standard of care. These interventions share two sets of components: strategies to improve children's communication, behavior, and development; and procedures to coach caregivers to implement those strategies. To date, no review has examined how caregiver…

We examined the effectiveness of coaching on caregiver implementation of responding to joint attention (RJA) intervention for toddlers with autism. We used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline across participants single-case research design to examine the relation between coaching practices and caregivers' RJA intervention implementation behaviors.…

Children can experience unintentional injuries due to safety threats found in their environments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Researchers have shown that children can be taught safety responses using behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST). Within the safety skills literature, there is evidence that…

Training frontline staff to respond to and manage challenging behaviors of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses a pervasive problem in the delivery of treatment services. Traditional synchronous staff training methods are expensive, time-consuming, and often do not result in high treatment integrity. Video Modeling alternative to…

Children with autism spectrum disorder often display some form of challenging behavior and have complex communication needs. Functional communication training is an evidence-based practice that (a) decreases challenging behavior and (b) increases appropriate communicative behavior. Recent research has demonstrated how using augmentative and…

Special education researchers have for decades emphasized the importance of intervention effectiveness and procedural fidelity, but relatively little attention has been directed toward understanding intervention intensity. This review focused on extracting details of intervention intensity as reported in peer-reviewed studies of scripting and…

Younger siblings of autistic children are at a high likelihood (HL) of autism, language, and/or cognitive delays. Vocal complexity, a continuous measure of the developmental maturity of vocal communication, is facilitated by parent-child interaction and predicts language outcomes. This study examined whether parents' intervention fidelity to…

Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) have a strong and growing evidence base. Yet, NDBIs are not implemented on a wide scale within early intervention programs for children on the autism spectrum. Potential reasons for the slow adoption of NDBIs likely stem from the differing theoretical orientations of behavioral and…

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an empirically supported approach for addressing the behavioral concerns of autistic children. However, many families face barriers to accessing BPT. Adapting BPT via telehealth technology may improve access for families, especially those living in rural regions. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of…

This article describes the development and use of a first of its kind statewide implementation of an adapted Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Supported by a collaborative partnership between stakeholders that included families, state agencies, and a state university, the intervention was implemented within the existing framework of a northeastern…

Autistic youth frequently experience interfering anxiety, and schools may be an ideal setting to deliver mental health care. A type 1 hybrid-effectiveness, cluster randomized trial was used to examine the effectiveness of school-based Facing Your Fears compared to usual care. Change in provider cognitive behavior therapy knowledge and treatment…

The publicly funded early intervention program for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nova Scotia, Canada, uses the pivotal response treatment (PRT) model. Parents are coached in use of PRT strategies during their children's first week of treatment. We explored whether parents of older preschoolers with limited verbal ability…