Parent Training for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Improving the Quality of Life for Children and Their Families

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be very challenging, particularly for parents who do not have easy access to psychological treatment. This book presents parent training as a unique approach that is not only more accessible but is also one of the most promising methods for promoting long-term behavioral improvements in children with ASD.
 
Backed by decades of research, parent training is a psychotherapeutic technique in which parents are main drivers of change for their children. The clinician passes knowledge to the parents and teaches them more effective parenting skills and behaviors.
 
This clinical guide shows practitioners how to apply this approach with families of children with ASD. Readers will learn strategies for implementing various assessment and intervention techniques, and for maintaining parental engagement throughout treatment. Individual chapters focus on the most common issues that parents of children with ASD struggle with, including social and communication deficits; disruptive behaviors; sleep disturbances; tendencies to wander off; and key life skills, like feeding and toileting. Vivid case examples demonstrate this clinical guidance being applied in realistic scenarios.

Cynthia R. Johnson, PhD, is the director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism, Cleveland, Ohio, and is on the faculty of the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western University. She has been awarded National Institutes of Health-funded and numerous other grants. A member of The RUBI (Research Units in Behavior Interventions) Autism Network, Dr. Johnson's recent research has been on the treatment of frequently co-occurring/associated problems in autism spectrum disorder, including disruptive behaviors, sleep disturbances, and feeding problems. Dr. Johnson is a licensed psychologist and a board-certified behavior analyst.

Eric M. Butter, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with specialization in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other neurodevelopmental disabilities and is an associate professor jointly appointed in pediatrics and psychology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Butter's research has focused on the biomedical correlates and potential etiologies of ASD and ADHD, as well as the disorders' psychological and medical treatment. He has been continuously involved in several autism research networks since 1999. Dr. Butter is the chief of psychology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and continues to work on implementing and expanding parent training interventions for children with ASD.

Lawrence Scahill, MSN, PhD, is the director of clinical trials at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and a professor of pediatrics at Emory University. He is a recognized leader in the design and conduct of clinical trials in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and Tourette's disorder. Dr. Scahill is an editor of Pediatric Psychopharmacology: Principles and Practice and coauthor of Parent Training for Disruptive Behavior in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has played a central role in the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network and the Research Units on Behavioral Intervention.