Qualitative and Quantitative Changes in Verbalizations during PCIT for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Lauren Browning*, Kelsey Keen*, Robin Han, Suzi Naguib, Rachel Piper, and Cheryl McNeil

Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences (Poster Presentation #82)

Student’s Major: Psychology

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is growing in prevalence, from 1 in 59 in 2014 to 1 in 54 in 2020 (CDC, 2020). Around 25% of children with ASD also have a disruptive behavior disorder (Kaat & Lecavilier, 2013). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment for young children with disruptive behaviors (McNeil & Hembree-Kigin, 2010). Although PCIT was originally designed to treat children with disruptive behavior disorders, there is growing evidence that it can be used for children with autism (Masse et al., 2016). In PCIT, parents are coached to follow their child’s lead during play by using positive responsive verbalizations and avoiding negative leading verbalizations. However, little research has been done to evaluate how the child’s verbalizations change throughout treatment. The current study seeks to examine changes in the quality and quantity of child verbalizations during PCIT among a community-based sample. The sample consisted of 11 parents and their children, all of whom had a diagnosis of ASD and were referred to a community-based clinic for PCIT. During a 5-minute free-play interaction, child verbalizations were counted and coded using the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (Eyberg et al., 2013) at pre- and post-treatment. Paired t-tests were used to examine pre-post differences in child verbalizations. Although PCIT doesn’t directly target child verbalizations, the current study seeks to examine if child verbalizations will change in quality and quantity when parents are taught to reflect children’s words, describe their actions, and praise positive behaviors.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course