Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Vol 25(1), Feb 2025, 14-34; doi:10.1037/bar0000301
Teaching children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) communication skills is a critical component in their development. These skills are beneficial in learning other essential skills and decreasing challenging behavior. In addition, these skills are at the core of the principles of self-determination, advocacy, and independence, as well as compete with core characteristics associated with the diagnosis. Training caregivers to teach communication skills in the home setting is essential to fostering the continuity of training and services provided across settings and individuals. With caregivers being able to correctly deliver communication skills training to their child with ASD, it allows the child more opportunities to build social communicative skills, thus increased independence and improved quality of life. Using a single case, nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across three caregivers, this study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training to teach caregivers to implement communication (i.e., mand or requesting) skills training to their child diagnosed with ASD. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the training at establishing the target skills across the three caregivers who participated. Additionally, this research provided information regarding the effectiveness of different levels of booster training implemented to reach optimal implementation by caregivers. Considerations regarding the implementation and effectiveness of behavioral skills training and different levels of boosters during the training of caregivers, as well as possible future directions for the research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)