Brief Description of the Parent Education (Week Long) Program

UCSB KOEGEL AUTISM CENTER: REMOTE (PARENT EDUCATION) PROGRAM

Summary of Program The week-long program is an intensive parent education program that introduces parents to the motivational procedures of Pivotal Response Training. The focus of the program is individualized to meet each child’s unique communication, social, and behavioral needs. Families meet with clinicians each day, for a total of 5 days.

Setting Parent education sessions will be conducted in clinic session rooms at the Koegel Autism Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The play rooms will contain a table, chairs, video camera, and a variety of toys and games. Additional sessions will be conducted in nearby community settings such as at restaurants, parks, and camps. The specific ratio of time spent in the various settings will be individualized depending on the child’s interests, family characteristics and other environmental factors.

Pre-intervention and follow-up sessions will be conducted in each child’s home (via videotape observations) while the child is interacting with his or her primary caregiver (and may include other family members). These observations will include interactions that are typical or representative of those between the child and the parent(s) (i.e. mealtime, play time, etc.) and will take place in the families’ homes. Additional sessions with the child and other adults who are key social agents in the child’s life may also be included.

Clinicians. Clinicians all hold masters or doctoral degrees in Educational Psychology and/or Counseling, Clinical, or School Psychology. Clinicians all have extensive experience working with children with autism and providing behavioral interventions to families. In addition, the clinical supervisor (a licensed speech pathologist with a Ph.D. in psychology) will observe and attend sessions to provide additional consultation and feedback.

Intervention - Parent Education Program. For each family, the primary caregiver, the child, and the parent educator will be present during all sessions. Other family (i.e., parents, grandparents) and educational team (i.e., speech therapist, school specialist) members are invited to be present during the sessions as well. Intervention sessions will take place for 5 hours per day over 5 consecutive days, for a total of twenty-five hours. The intervention program will begin with an informal introduction and meeting between the parents and parent educator to observe the interactions of the child, discuss target behaviors, and become familiar with the family. Following this brief initial meeting, the parents will be provided with a copy of Pivotal Response Treatment®: Using Motivation as a Pivotal Response by Lynn Kern Koegel, PhD, which describes specific techniques of Pivotal Response Treatment. The specific motivational techniques described in the manual will be introduced to the parents as they relate to their child. These include the following components: (a) The parent provides a clear, uninterrupted, instruction to their child while maintaining his/her attention. (b) The instructions that the parent/caregiver provides are varied frequently and maintenance tasks (tasks that the child has already mastered) are interspersed with acquisition tasks (targeted skills). (c) The child has significant input in the selection of the activities. (d) Rewards are functional and are administered immediately and contingently following the child’s behavior. (e) Reinforcers are directly related to the child’s response. (f) Reinforcers are administered to the child following clear attempts as well as correct responses. All target behaviors will be individualized based on the child’s needs. Each day during the program, the primary caregiver (and possible other attendees) will receive continuous feedback from the clinician during interactions with their child. Throughout the sessions, the parents and others may be provided with additional materials such as research articles, book chapters, or manuals that may assist them in working with their child. These materials will be recommended based on the unique needs of the child. There is a nominal fee for these materials. On the final day of the program, there will be a meeting to discuss and review the techniques presented as they applied directly to the work with the child. Additionally, recommendations for the child’s educational program will be provided.

Follow-up contact. Each family will receive a report summarizing the program as the techniques were applied. Additional educational and behavioral recommendations may also be included depending on the needs of the child. Families will then send follow-up videotapes of the child interacting with the primary caregiver (and possible other adults or family members) in their home, school, or community environment. Families will also be encouraged to maintain contact via email, telephone or mail. Feedback will be provided to the families based on the videos and other information provided and additional recommendations may be made at any time.

Fees. The week-long remote program costs a total of $3,500.00. A deposit of $1,500.00 dollars is due a month prior to participation. The remaining fees are due at the end of the week of intervention. All payments should be addressed to UC Regents.