Parent-Implemented Interventions for Children with Special Needs in Türkiye: An Analysis of Single-Subject Research Studies

Abstract

This article summarizes single-subject research studies that investigated the impact of interventions implemented by parents or family members of children with special needs living in Türkiye. In this study, 22 research studies conducted between 2013 and 2023 were analyzed in terms of their participants, methodological characteristics, characteristics of the training program implemented, and outcomes. Most of the child participants were boys, and most of the children were of school age. Mothers dominated parental involvement, but siblings also played an important role. The most frequently used design in the research methods was a multiple probe across participants design. While intervention fidelity data are reported in many research studies, implementation fidelity data are often omitted. The outcomes of the reviewed research show that parents successfully implemented the intervention and taught target skills to their children after the intervention they performed. However, generalization and maintenance findings were limited. The lack of clear reporting of parent training procedures makes it difficult to draw inferences about the effectiveness of the training. In general, although there is methodological diversity in the research reviewed, there is a need to be more rigorous about the clarity of the processes.