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Evaluation ViewAttendees 5

Traditional Workshop - Ticketed

Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders

Workshop 8 - RUBI Parent Training for Autistic Children with Mild to Moderate Challenging Behaviors

Saturday, November 16, 2024
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST
Location: 408/409, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
Earn 3 Credit
Ticketed Session
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Parent Training, Aggression / Disruptive Behavior / Conduct Problems
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Bearss, K., Johnson, C., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Swiezy, N., Aman, M., ... & Scahill, L. (2015). Effect of parent training vs parent education on behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 313(15), 1524-1533.,   Scahill, L., Bearss, K., Lecavalier, L., Smith, T., Swiezy, N., Aman, M. G., ... & Johnson, C. (2016). Effect of parent training on adaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: Results of a randomized trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(7), 602-609.,   Burrell, T. L., Postorino, V., Scahill, L., Rea, H. M., Gillespie, S., Evans, A. N., & Bearss, K. (2020). Feasibility of group parent training for children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: a demonstration pilot. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(11), 3883-3894.,   Bearss, K., Burrell, T.L., Challa, S.A., Postorino, V., Gillespie, S.E., Crooks, C., & . Scahill, L. (2018). Feasibility of parent training via telehealth for children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: A demonstration pilot. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1020-1030.,   Iadarola, S., Levato, L., Harrison, B., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Johnson, C., ... & Scahill, L. (2018). Teaching parents behavioral strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Effects on stress, strain, and competence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1031-1040.

    Presenter(s)

  • Kate McCalla, Ph.D.

    Assistant Clinical Director, Licensed Psychologist
    Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation, Kennedy Krieger Institute
    BALTIMORE, Maryland, United States

  • Ji Su Hong, M.D.

    Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
    Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Baltimore, Maryland, United States

  • Karen Bearss, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

    Associate Professor
    Seattle Children's Autism Center, University of Washington
    Seattle, Washington, United States

It has been well documented that challenging behaviors (e.g., meltdowns, aggression, difficulties with transitions) are very common in autistic youth and emerge in early childhood. Literature indicates high rates of aggressive behaviors in autistic youth (aggression to a caregiver 68%, aggression to non-caregivers 49%, and self-injury 27.7%) and challenging behaviors are strongly associated with poor quality of life, social isolation, behavioral crisis, school problems, and parental stress and depression (Kanne & Mazurek, 2011; Lecavalier et al., 2006; Soke et al., 2016). RUBI Parent Training (RUBI PT) is a manualized, time-limited parent training intervention for autistic youth, which has strong evidence for reducing challenging behaviors and improving daily living skills (Bearss et al., 2015).

In this workshop, we will provide the audience with an in-depth educational experience on RUBI PT through didactic instruction, videoclips, role-play of a RUBI session, and educational handouts. Several core RUBI sessions will be discussed in detail, including behavioral principles (emphasizing the antecedent-behavior-consequence model), prevention strategies, reinforcement, planned ignoring, functional communication training, and skill building. We will review how RUBI PT is structured, and the audience will have the opportunity to observe how a RUBI session is conducted. We will discuss RUBI in the context of the neurodiversity movement. Finally, we will review the current evidence supporting the efficacy of RUBI.

Outline:
1. Challenging Behaviors in Autism and Treatment Options
a. Brief overview of common behavioral concerns
b. Treatment options: pharmacological & behavioral (e.g., Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), parent training)
c. Parent training in the context of the neurodiversity movement
2. Overview of RUBI Parent Training (RUBI PT)
a. Outline of session content
b. Structure of treatment
c. Treatment materials: therapist manual; parent workbook; video vignettes
d. Behavior support plan
e. Engaging families in treatment
3. Basic Behavioral Principles and Other Components of RUBI PT
a. Behavioral principles
b. Prevention strategies
c. Reinforcement
d. Planned ignoring
e. Cooperation training
f. Functional communication training
g. Skill building strategies
4. Observe Speaker Role Play of a RUBI PT Session
5. Review of Current Evidence Supporting RUBI PT

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe the basic behavioral principles that are the foundation of RUBI.
  2. Explain how behavioral strategies, such as prevention and reinforcement, can be used by parents.
  3. Identify the type of patients who would benefit from RUBI.
  4. Describe how RUBI is structured.
  5. Discuss how RUBI is aligned with the neurodiversity movement.
  6. Identify the current evidence supporting the efficacy of RUBI.
  7. Long-Term Goal: Attendees will explore whether RUBI-PT is a useful clinical tool for their practice.