(PS8-A19) Time-limited Group Telehealth Workshops Based on Parent-child Interaction Therapy for Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has steadily increased over the past two decades (CDC, 2022), and provider shortages, cost of treatment, and lack of transportation often prevent children with autism from receiving services (Cantor et al., 2020; Pickard & Ingersoll, 2016; Smith et al., 2020). As research suggests that co-occurring disruptive behaviors, such as tantrums, aggression, and self-injury, are highly prevalent for children on the autism spectrum (Lecavalier, 2006), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg & Funderburk, 2011) has been recommended as a supplemental intervention for specialized treatments that address core symptoms of ASD (Bearss, 2018). PCIT has been implemented in a variety of time-limited, group-based, or telehealth formats to address treatment barriers for both children with and without ASD; however, no study to date has examined the combination of these formats. 

The current study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of time-limited group telehealth workshops based on PCIT in improving parenting skills, child behavior, and child psychosocial functioning in families of children with autism and co-occurring disruptive behavior problems. Forty caregivers were randomly assigned to a treatment or waitlist control condition in a cross-over design. Caregivers in the treatment condition attended 2, 6-hour workshops via Zoom. Participants completed the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI; Eyberg & Pincus, 1999) and Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015) to assess child disruptive behaviors and child psychosocial functioning at pre- and post-treatment timepoints. Additionally, caregiver parenting skills and child compliance to caregiver commands were recorded at pre- and post-treatment during structured behavioral observations. Recordings were transcribed and coded using the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS; Eyberg et al., 2013).

Within-between analysis of variance tests were conducted to evaluate the impact of a PCIT-based workshop condition and a waitlist control condition on caregiver and child outcomes across pre- and post-treatment time points. Caregivers in the workshop condition exhibited significantly greater positive parenting skills at post-treatment than caregivers in the control condition, F(1, 23) = 4.85, p = .038, ηp2 = .174. Additionally, caregivers in the workshop condition demonstrated significantly fewer negative parenting skills at post-treatment than caregivers in the control condition, F(1, 23) = 4.92, p = .037, ηp2 = .176. There were no significant interaction effects between group and time for ECBI subscale scores, BASC domain scores, or observed child compliance to caregiver commands (as measured by the DPICS). Results suggest that time-limited group telehealth workshops are effective in improving parenting skills for caregivers of children with autism and co-occurring disruptive behaviors, yet no immediate improvements in child behavior were found. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature evaluating PCIT for families of children with autism and may aid in the development of alternative formats of PCIT to increase access to behavioral services.