Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With Autism Spectrum Disorder (PCIT)

Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With ASD

The aim of the current proposal is to determine if the PCIT treatment manual can be successfully utilized for preschoolers with ASD and disruptive behavior (across a range of intellectual functioning levels) and to evaluate its ability to significantly decrease measures of problem behavior. It is hypothesized that the current manual will require few modifications for use with ASD and that, in comparison to a wait-list control group, families who undergo PCIT training will evidence significant gains on measures of parenting stress, child externalizing behaviors and compliance to parental requests. To address the pilot study aims, we will recruit a total of 25 families of children with ASD (ages 2.6-6.11 years) whose children are already receiving intensive, one-on-one behavioral treatment services (15-30 hours per week) but no structured parent training. Families will be randomized to either intensive services + PCIT or intensive services alone (wait list control). Assessments will be completed at baseline, mid-treatment (9 weeks post baseline), post-treatment (18 weeks after the baseline assessment) and long-term follow-up (12 weeks post-treatment). PCIT families will attend 16 weekly, one-hour coaching sessions. Both active treatment and wait-list control families will continue to receive intensive ABA services in the home or community. Control families will receive PCIT training after 18 weeks on the "wait-list." The aims of the pilot study are:

1. To assess the utility of the current PCIT treatment manual with preschoolers with ASD and disruptive behavior and their parents;

   Hypothesis 1: The current PCIT treatment manual will be able to be utilized with families of children with ASD with only minimal modifications.

   Hypothesis 2: Families of children with ASD will consistently attend PCIT sessions.

2. To determine if PCIT with this population will result in an increase in appropriate parent behaviors and a subsequent decrease in targeted child behaviors (e.g., direct assessment of noncompliance, behavior rating scales).

Hypothesis 3: Families receiving PCIT training will evidence statistically greater decreases on measures of disruptive behavior, quality of parent-child interactions and parental stress than families on the wait-list control group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Noncompliance
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Parent Child Interaction Therapy

Detailed Description

Young children with ASD often present with a range of externalizing behavior problems, including aggression, tantrums and difficulty transitioning. Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been shown to offer an effective means of addressing many of these concerns. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a manualized, empirically supported parent coaching intervention that has been found to be highly effective for typically developing preschoolers presenting with a range of mental health concerns. It also holds considerable promise as a potentially effective treatment for children with ASD. The focus of PCIT treatment is to both improve parent-child interactions and to reduce child behavior problems. PCIT involves the coaching of parents in real-time, via a one-way mirror and a "bug-in-the ear" device that allows the therapist to provide feedback and directions to the parent while interacting with his/her child. The aim of the current proposal is to determine if the PCIT treatment manual can be successfully utilized for preschoolers with ASD and to evaluate its ability to significantly decrease measures of problem behavior. It is hypothesized that the current manual will require few modifications for use with ASD and that, in comparison to a wait-list control group, families who undergo PCIT training will evidence significant gains on measures of parenting stress, child externalizing behaviors and compliance to parental requests. To address the pilot study aims, we will recruit a total of 25 families of children with ASD (ages 2.6-6 years) whose children are already receiving intensive, one-on-one behavioral treatment services (15-30 hours per week). Families will be randomized to either intensive services + PCIT or intensive services alone (wait list control). Assessments will be completed at baseline, mid-treatment (9 weeks post baseline) and post-treatment (18 weeks after the baseline assessment). PCIT families will attend 20 weekly, one-hour coaching sessions. Both active treatment and wait-list control families will continue to receive intensive ABA services in the home or community. The results of this study will provide pilot data in a subsequent application for federal funding to conduct larger controlled trials, including examining the use of PCIT in school-age children with ASD and intellectual disability and to assess the individual and combined efficacy of PCIT and psychopharmacological treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 25
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15203
      • Merck Child Outpatient Clinic

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 years to 6 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

i. Outpatients between 2 years, 6 months and 6 years, 11 months of age; ii. Diagnosis of Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or Asperger's Disorder based upon the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and clinical evaluation by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV criteria; iii. Males and females; iv. Mental Age>30 months based upon the Stanford-Binet V or Mullens [to insure that the child possesses enough expressive language to offer opportunities for the parent to learn "verbal reflection" skills and that child is able to understand time out]; v. Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory score greater than or equal to 120; vi. Behavior Assessment System for Children Externalizing Problem Scale T-score >65; vii. Care provider who can reliably bring subject to clinic visits, can attend weekly PCIT sessions, can provide trustworthy ratings and interact with subject on a regular basis.

Exclusion Criteria:

i. Unstable use of psychotropic medications (no changes in dose for at least two months and no plans to change dose during the course of the study); ii. Unstable use of dietary supplements (e.g., casein-gluten free diet)(no changes in supplement dose for at least two months and no plans to change douse during the course of the study); iii. Prior involvement in PCIT or currently receiving parent training. iv. Extremely severe behavioral concerns that require immediate treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Parent Child Interaction Therapy; Families will either receive Parent Child Interaction Therapy or be placed on a wait-list control group	Behavioral: Parent Child Interaction Therapy; Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a research-supported parent coaching intervention that has been found to be highly effective among typically developing preschoolers presenting with a range of mental health concerns, especially defiance and noncompliance.6 PCIT holds considerable promise as a potentially effective treatment for children with ASD because it directly addresses the behaviors parents of children with ASD report to be most problematic for them - defiance, stubbornness, and temper tantrums. PCIT is theoretically consistent with other approaches that have shown promise in treating ASD (i.e., behaviorally-based); however, PCIT is unique in that it incorporates a socially-based initial phase which may have some unique benefits for children with ASD.
No Intervention: Wait list control; Families will wait 18 weeks for treatment, serving as controls.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory	Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). For families receiving PCIT training, the ECBI will be completed at screen, at each PCIT training visit and at the 12-week post-treatment visit. Wait-list control families will complete the ECBI at screen as well as at weeks 9 and 18. Reported week 9. The ECBI contains the Intensity Score calculated from 36 items rated on frequency of behavior from 1 (Never) to 7 (Always). Intensity score range is 36-252, with higher scores indicating a higher frequency of problem behaviors. The ECBI contains the Problem Score calculated from 36 items rated on whether the particular behavior is considered by the to be a problem (yes) or not (no). Problem score range is 0-36, with higher scores indicating a higher frequency of problem behaviors.	Week 9
Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory	Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). For families receiving PCIT training, the ECBI will be completed at screen, at each PCIT training visit and at the 12-week post-treatment visit. Wait-list control families will complete the ECBI at screen as well as at weeks 9 and 18. Reported week 18 The ECBI contains the Intensity Score calculated from 36 items rated on frequency of behavior from 1 (Never) to 7 (Always). Intensity score range is 36-252, with higher scores indicating a higher frequency of problem behaviors. The ECBI contains the Problem Score calculated from 36 items rated on whether the particular behavior is considered by the to be a problem (yes) or not (no). Problem score range is 0-36, with higher scores indicating a higher frequency of problem behaviors.	Week 18

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parental Stress Index-4 Short Form	Parental Stress Index-4 Short Form (PSI) is comprised of several subscales that are independently measured and also combined to create a total score. Scores are calculated from 36 questions that rated as Strongly Agree/Agree/Not Sure/Disagree/Strongly Disagree by the parents. Ratings are attached to a 5-point Likert scale. PSI Defensive Responding subscale range: 7-35. Lower scores indicate higher defensive responding from parents. For the PSI Parental Distress subscale, range 12-60. Higher scores indicate higher parental stress in the parenting. For the PSI Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale, range 12-60. Higher scores indicate parents feel their child is not meeting their expectations when interacting. For the PSI Difficult Child subscale, range 12-60. Higher scores indicates parents view their child to be difficult to parent. For PSI Total Stress, range 43-215. Higher scores indicate higher stress.	Week 18
Social Responsiveness Scale 2 Score	Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd edition (SRS-2). SRS-2 Total Score is sum of subscales, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-195. Social Awareness measures social awareness impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-24. Social Cognition measures social cognition impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-36. Social Communication measures social communication impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-66. Social Motivation measures social motivation impairment, higher scores means more impairment. Range 0 - 33. Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors measures restricted and repetitive behaviors, with higher scores indicating more impairment. Range 0 - 36.	Week 9
Social Responsiveness Scale 2 Score	Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd edition (SRS-2). SRS-2 Total Score is sum of subscales, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-195. Social Awareness measures social awareness impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-24. Social Cognition measures social cognition impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-36. Social Communication measures social communication impairment, higher scores mean more impairment. Range 0-66. Social Motivation measures social motivation impairment, higher scores means more impairment. Range 0 - 33. Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors measures restricted and repetitive behaviors, with higher scores indicating more impairment. Range 0 - 36.	Week 18
Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System Scores	The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) codes frequency of behaviors that occur during five minutes of child-lead play, then parent-lead play, and then clean-up. Positive Skills score is the total frequency of behavioral descriptions, reflections, and labeled praise throughout the three conditions. Negative skills score is a combination of the total frequency of questions, negative talk, and indirect commands throughout all conditions, as well as direct commands during child lead play. It was expected that parents would give commands during parent-lead play or clean-up.	Week 9
Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System Scores	The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) codes frequency of behaviors that occur during five minutes of child lead play, then parent lead play, and then clean-up. Positive Skills score was the total frequency of behavioral descriptions, reflections, and labeled praise throughout the three conditions. Negative skills score was a combination of the total frequency of questions, negative talk, and indirect commands throughout all conditions, as well as direct commands during child lead play. It was expected that parents would give commands during parent-lead play or clean-up.	Week 18
Parental Stress Index Score	Parental Stress Index-4 Short Form (PSI):Total Stress Scale, total of subscales, range 36-180, higher indicating more parental stress. Defensive Responding, range 7-35. Lower scores indicate higher defensive responding from parents. Parental Distress, range 12-60. Higher scores indicate more parental stress. Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale, range 12-60. Higher scores indicate parents feel their child is not meeting their expectations when interacting. Difficult Child, range is 12-60. Higher scores indicate that parents view their child to be difficult to parent.	Week 9

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
• Collaborators: Autism Speaks
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Benjamin L Handen, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 14, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): March 17, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 22, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2019
• Last Verified: March 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PCIT, autism, parent training, noncompliance
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0031588; PRO023120445 (Other Identifier: University of Pittsburgh IRB)