Abstract

BAGAIOLO, Leila Felippe et al. Parental training for functional communication and management of disruptive behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Cad. Pós-Grad. Distúrb. Desenvolv. [online]. 2018, vol.18, n.2, pp. 46-64. ISSN 1519-0307.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/cadernosdisturbios.v18n2p46-64.

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects some important developmental areas early in life, such as social communication, which may result in repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. The impact of the disorder on families exert significant burden on caregivers both emotionally and economically. In this respect, parental training for better handling and stimulation of ASD individuals is an interesting alternative for dealing with the symptoms of these individuals as well with family burden. This is a non-controlled, multicenter intervention pilot study to train twenty one caregivers of ASD individuals displaying disruptive behavior and deficit of communication. The interventions were carried out in two outpatient reference centers in the city of São Paulo and the topics were based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Results showed a significant reduction in the disruptive behavior of ASD individuals measured by the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) as well as in their depression and anxiety symptoms assessed by the Depression and Anxiety Hamilton scales. Considering the limitation of human resources and the difficulty in accessing evidence-based treatments in the public health system, proposals for group interventions may be a viable alternative for reaching a higher share of the population.

Keywords : Autism Spectrum Disorders; Parental training; Applied behavior analysis; Disruptive behavior management; Functional communication training.

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