Session Schedule:

Parent Training for Challenging Behaviors: The RUBI Parent Training Program

Featured Speaker — Karen Bearss, PhD

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition of early childhood onset characterized by social communication deficits, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. In addition to the defining features, as many as 50% of children with ASD exhibit behavioral problems, including tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. These behaviors interfere with the performance of daily living skills, limit the child’s ability to benefit from educational services, and may increase social isolation. Uncertainty on how to manage these behavioral problems may also amplify caregiver stress. The recognized struggles parents face in raising a child with ASD have sparked increased interest in evidence-based parent training (PT) programs, as they empower parents to be the agent of change for their child. The Research Unit on Behavioral Interventions (RUBI) Autism Network developed a manualized parent training program that utilizes techniques grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis to teach families of children with ASD how to manage their child’s behavioral problems. We conducted a series of studies on the RUBI program and found that it is acceptable to parents, can be reliably delivered by trained therapists, and reduces children’s noncompliant and disruptive behavior. This training will provide an overview of the development and empirical investigation of the RUBI Parent Training program as a novel treatment for disruptive behavior in ASD as well as an in-depth walk-through of content for the Core RUBI sessions. Through the use of manual materials and case exemplars, the training will focus on various treatment models, delivery strategies, and challenges, including considerations when choosing cases, discussion of common “pitfalls” when implementing session materials, and how to promote successful delivery of the intervention in order to meet the needs of individual children and their families.

Learner objectives:

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss the rationale for parent training (PT) as a front-line treatment for children with ASD
2. Compare the various types of parent training for youth with ASD, including research findings
3. List four key concepts that form the overarching framework of the RUBI program
4. Explain the content of the Core RUBI sessions using illustrative case examples and including successful homework strategies corresponding to each session
5. Design RUBI assessment and treatment plans that are responsive to clinic demands and family needs, including common barriers to treatment fidelity

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