The experiences of behavior interventionists who work with children with autism in families’ homes

Exploring psychosocial experiences of behavior therapists dealing with children having autism spectrum disorder

Behavior therapists play an important role in the life of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Literature reported that child's improvement depends on the quality of therapy they receive. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the psychosocial experiences of behavior therapist working with children having ASD, and suggest the coping strategies which they use to deal with those stressors. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with a phenomenological research approach to explore the psychosocial experiences. For this purpose, the researchers conduct semi-structured interviews of 6 behavior therapists, ages ranging from 25 to 35 years. They note the verbatim of the therapists and convert into codes to create themes and categories. Furthermore, the study utilizes Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis for the interpretation of the results. The results of this phenomenological research indicate six superordinate themes emerged from the transcripts. The results demonstrate professional and psychological experiences of behavior therapists along with the social and the health issues faced by the children with ASD, and the coping strategies used by the therapists that is emotion focused coping, problem focused coping and maladaptive copings. Gaining insight into therapists' psychosocial experiences can pave the way for developing approaches aimed at enhancing their overall welfare. These approaches may encompass initiatives to alleviate stress, mitigate burnout, and boost job satisfaction.

Parent perceived challenges to treatment utilization in a publicly funded early intensive behavioral intervention program for children with autism spectrum disorder

Background: In recent years, the delivery of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States has significantly changed. More children with ASD than ever before are eligible to use publicly funded EIBI. Yet, the challenges to large-scale implementation of EIBI remain unclear. Specific Aims: We examined parent perceived challenges to treatment utilization, predictors of increased challenges to treatment utilization, and parent recommendations for increasing utilization in a statewide EIBI program. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed parents of children with ASD receiving EIBI through South Carolina's Pervasive Developmental Disorder Program (N = 145). To examine the contributions of parent demographic characteristics, parent social support, and child challenging behaviors to perceived challenges to utilization, we used multiple linear regression. Parent recommendations were collected using a single open-ended question. Findings: The most frequently endorsed challenges included the child's school schedule (62.1%) and the child being overburdened with other treatment demands (65.2%). Greater child challenging behaviors were associated with a greater degree of perceived challenges, and social support was associated with a lesser degree of perceived challenges. Discussion: Parents perceived various challenges to utilization, and child and family characteristics may increase the risk for experiencing challenges to utilization. As the delivery of EIBI continues to evolve in the United States and elsewhere, these findings have implications for policy, programming, and future research.