A Case Study of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for the Treatment of High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have difficulties with compliance, impulsivity, and attention, which can affect daily adaptive functioning leading to disruptions in family social interactions, communication skills, academic achievement, and engagement in the community. Although previous research has identified behavioral treatments such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for youth with ASD, it is important to explore more interventions that can be effective in decreasing problematic behaviors while also building positive social skill development. This case study illustrates the effectiveness of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to address behavioral problems in a 7-year-old boy with high-functioning ASD (HF-ASD) and comorbid ADHD. Overall, the results demonstrated a decrease in child challenging behaviors and an increase in child compliance. In addition, the child’s mother increased her use of positive parenting skills and effective commands. This study provides additional support for PCIT for children with ASD, but was not without challenges. These challenges, characteristic of families affected by ASD, and treatment implications for clinicians working with this population are discussed.

Low Treatment Fidelity as an Indication to Switch Interventions: Pivoting From Child-Parent Psychotherapy to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Early Childhood Trauma

“…The most common treatments available for early childhood (i.e., ages 2+) include Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC; Dozier et al, 2006), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP; Ghosh Ippen et al, 2011; Lieberman et al, 2005), and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg et al, 2001) and for children 4 and older, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen & Mannarino, 1996). While all these interventions have their merits, they are not universally available for a myriad of reasons (see discussion in Cambric & Agazzi, 2019). The purpose of this case study is to describe the clinical application of two of these interventions, CPP and PCIT, with a child with early life trauma exposures.…”

Psychological treatment strategies for challenging behaviours in neurodevelopmental disorders: what lies beyond a purely behavioural approach?

“…Addressing this limitation, the other parent training studies have drawn on the behavioural model alongside other models. Four of these involve parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT [25][26][27][28]). PCIT was developed for typically developing children and involves coaching parents to interact with children.…”

Treating Externalizing Behaviors in Toddlers with ASD Traits Using Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers: A Case Study

“…There is a growing evidence base supporting the effectiveness of PCIT as a treatment for externalizing behaviors in children with ASD (e.g., Agazzi et al, 2013; Armstrong & Kimonis, 2013; Cambric & Agazzi, 2019; Ginn et al, 2017; McInnis et al, 2020). For example, a case study by Agazzi et al (2013) found PCIT to be effective in reducing externalizing behavior and improving compliance in a 7-year-old boy with ASD as well as improving positive parenting behaviors in his parents.…”

“…Pre-treatment measures showed that Sonny’s externalizing behaviors fell within a clinically significant range, he had poor emotion regulation ability, and a disorganized/insecure parent-child attachment relationship with his mother. PCIT-T was chosen as the intervention of choice as it is a promising treatment targeted at children with externalizing behaviors under the age of 2 years (Kohlhoff & Morgan, 2014; Kohlhoff et al, 2020a, 2020b) and, although the effectiveness of PCIT-T with children with ASD traits has not yet been evaluated, there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of standard PCIT in reducing externalizing behaviors in older children with ASD (e.g., Agazzi et al, 2013; Armstrong & Kimonis, 2013; Cambric & Agazzi, 2019; Ginn et al, 2017; McInnis et al, 2020).…”