One area of focus that tends to be severely lacking in BCBA supervised fieldwork is guidance on ABA parent training. This leaves many newly minted behavior analysts without the knowledge and experience to support parents and caregivers. Parent training is a vital component of quality ABA services. To ensure alignment and drive the best possible outcomes, BCBAs must engage parents in meaningful learning that empowers them to best support their child. This guide will explore some of the best ABA parent training resources available.
What are the Benefits of Parent Training in ABA?
Research has consistently demonstrated a multitude of benefits to parent education and support within ABA programs. Some of the benefits of quality parent training include:
Improved parent-child interactions
Reduced stress for the parents and caregivers
Increased progress in communication, social, behavior, and adaptive goals
Enhanced generalization of skills
Potential for reduced duration of therapy (and thus, reduced costs)
Empowering caregivers with the knowledge and skills to support their child's needs
Shortened timeline for access to care (when caregiver training is delivered while on a waitlist for direct services)
Joon Health
Technology is playing a huge role in elevating parent training in ABA. Joon is one platform that is making it easier for BCBAs to conduct parent training and evaluate progress.
With Joon, BCBAs can:
Access a vast library of evidence-based parent training resources.
Assign parents and caregivers lessons with relevant videos, worksheets, and strategies related to their goals.
Automate parent training, saving BCBAs, on average, 4-6 hours per week.
Gain a better understanding of parents' needs and monitor progress with automated graphing and progress tracking.
Increase parent training utilization.
With Joon, parents and caregivers can:
Access modules assigned by their BCBA.
Enhance their child's motivation and independence through an engaging video game.
Monitor their child's adherence to routines without nagging.
CR Care Coordinator
CentralReach Care Coordinator is another platform that streamlines ABA parent training. CR Care Coordinator and the recently launched CR Care Companion app enable BCBAs and other clinicians to provide on-the-go training and support to current clients and those on the waitlist for services.
With CR Care Coordinator, BCBAs can:
Gain access to a comprehensive library of research-based videos and training content.
Assign lessons to parents that align with their values and goals.
Customize content that meets the family's unique needs.
Engage caregivers in training and provide support while they're on the waitlist so they have some ABA knowledge before beginning services.
Communicate with parents and monitor progress.
Track caregiver progress.
With the CR CareCompanion app, parents and caregivers can:
Share updates, pictures, and videos with their BCBA.
Journal in the app with pre-made prompts.
Consume high-quality knowledge via training lessons.
Feel more connected to their child's team and care plan.
Parent Training Books
While all-in-one platforms offer many unique benefits to parent training, there are many alternatives for those who don't have access. There are several books and curricula that BCBAs may incorporate into their caregiver training. Some of the best ABA parent training books include the following.
ABA Visualized Guidebook, 2nd Edition
ABA Visualized contains 27 evidence-based strategies with step-by-step visual guides that help parents understand how to approach various scenarios. This text covers ABA concepts like shaping, functions of behavior, and more.
One-Year ABA Parent Training Curriculum
The One-Year curriculum encompasses 27 in-depth lessons, from the ABCs of behavior. to teaching daily living skills and promoting self-determination. Each lesson has 5 pages of content, including an activity for the parents after the session.
The Behavior Analyst's Guide to Working with Parents: Acceptance and Commitment Training for Effective Parental Collaboration in Treatment
This ACT-focused guide for behavior analysts provides a framework for incorporating Acceptance and Commitment Training into ABA caregiver training. It covers the evidence for ACT, ethical considerations, and a guide for implementing ACT within parent training.
ACHIEVE Parent Training Curriculum
The ACHIEVE curriculum covers 31 lessons, 2 of which are BCBA-focused. You can also purchase an optional ACHIEVE Curriculum Workbook with the assignments and quizzes from the curriculum.
Improve Outcomes with ABA Caregiver Training
Caregiver training in ABA is vital for driving the best possible outcomes. There is an old adage that we, as BCBAs, are always trying to work ourselves out of a job. Regardless of the platform or materials you use, engaging parents and caregivers in high-quality education, training, and support, can vastly elevate outcomes, preparing caregivers for the day when they are ready to transition out of ABA.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase via my link, I'll earn a small commission. This does not impact the cost to you of the product or service.
References
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Factor, R. S., Ollendick, T. H., Cooper, L. D., Dunsmore, J. C., Rea, H. M., & Scarpa, A. (2019). All in the Family: A Systematic Review of the Effect of Caregiver-Administered Autism Spectrum Disorder Interventions on Family Functioning and Relationships. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 22(4), 433–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00297-x
Hock, R., Kinsman, A., & Ortaglia, A. (2015). Examining treatment adherence among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Disability and Health Journal, 8(3), 407-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2014.10.005
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Parent-Mediated Intervention Program for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Predictors of Program Use and Parent Outcomes. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(10), e227. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.4913
Lindgren, S., Wacker, D., Suess, A., Schieltz, K., Pelzel, K., Kopelman, T., Lee, J., Romani, P., & Waldron, D. (2016). Telehealth and Autism: Treating Challenging Behavior at Lower Cost. Pediatrics, 137 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), S167–S175. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2851O
Lerman, D. C., O’Brien, M. J., Neely, L., Call, N. A., Tsami, L., Schieltz, K. M., Berg, W. K., Graber, J., Huang, P., Kopelman, T., & Cooper-Brown, L. J. (2020). Remote Coaching of Caregivers via Telehealth: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Journal of Behavioral Education, 29(2), 195–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09378-2
