Effectiveness of Training Families of Individuals with ASD and Other DD in Social-Communication Interventions: A Single-Case Research, Examination of Evidence-Based Practice, and Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

Approximately 60% of adult-aged individuals with DD live with their families, and therefore, families of those individuals may have more social-communication interactions with them across time and settings. For this reason, it is critical to involve family members in the development and implementation of interventions for their children with ASD and other DD. The purposes of the present research were (1) to investigate the effects of instructional coaching on treatment integrity in primary caregiver-implemented augmentative and alternative communication intervention for an adult with ASD and on independent use of AAC of an adult with ASD; (2) to analyze the quality of the body of single-case research to determine whether primary caregiver-implemented communication interventions can be broadly considered evidence-based practices for individuals with ASD; and (3) to conduct a meta-analytic review determining the effects of family-implemented social-communication intervention in promoting social-communication skills of individuals with ASD and other DD.

Results of the first article indicated that all the caregiver participants showed high treatment fidelity after receiving training in the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention procedures while the adult with ASD infrequently used the AAC mode independently. The second article established that primary caregiver-implemented interventions could be considered an evidence-based practice (EBP) for treatment of the communication skills of individuals with ASD. Findings of the third article indicated that the family-implemented interventions have a moderate effect on the social-communication skills of individuals with ASD and other DD. Regarding the moderator variables, no statistically significant differences were found for any potential moderators.

This study has implications for training of families of individuals with ASD and other DD in the implementation of social-communication interventions in terms of time and cost efficiency as well as determination of EBPs. Several limitations should be considered. First, only one adult with ASD participated in the first study. Second, many of the studies included in the current review did not provide the intensity of training needed to facilitate intervention implementation of families. More research Limitations and implications for future research and for practitioners were addressed.