Parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment for typically developing children with disruptive behavior. We conducted a randomized-controlled trial of PCIT versus wait-list control (WLC) with 23 children with ASD (3–7 years) and disruptive behavior. Over 16 treatment sessions, PCIT significantly predicted reductions in disruptive behavior over WLC and explained a significant variation in scores on the ECBI Intensity subscale. Additionally, parent skills improved significantly compared to WLC. However, no statistically significant group differences were found on child compliance rates, autism severity, or parental stress. Results support PCIT as an evidence-based treatment for disruptive behavior in ASD.

Highlights

• Parent skills were significantly improved for those receiving PCIT

• Intensity of disruptive behaviors decreased significantly for those receiving PCIT

• Parental stress and autism severity did not significantly decrease with PCIT

Keywords:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• disruptive behavior
• parent–child interaction therapy

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the many families who participated in this research. In addition, we would like to recognize Maria Tina Benno, BA, Ryan Young, BA and Oliver Johnson, BA, who conducted the DPICs coding; Allison Cotter, who conducted session fidelity; Catherine Stahler, PhD, Danielle Saad, LCSW, Sara Green, LCSW and Lindsey Rose, LCSW, who assisted in conducting PCIT treatment sessions; and Ben Wells, MS and Victoria Bocast, BS, for their assistance with the database and statistical analysis.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Autism Speaks (#8807). Dr. Handen received support from the National Institute on Aging (R01AG031110-03A1; 1R01AG051406-01), the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH079082-01A2), Autism Speaks, Eli Lilly, and Roche. The other authors have no conflicts of interest.