Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Caregivers to Implement Mand Training With Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Single Case Research

Purpose This review investigated the efficacy of behavioral skills training (BST) when training caregivers to teach mand skills to their children with autism. Additionally, this review evaluated aspects of BST to increase its efficacy and time efficiency. This review addressed five questions: (1) what are the effects of BST when teaching caregivers to implement procedures to teach manding skills to their children with autism? (2) do caregiver-implemented procedures produce maintenance and generalization of communicative responses by their children? (3) what are the effects of booster training? (4) what is the BST training time or sessions to mastery reported across studies to reach optimal performance by caregivers? and (5) what are the settings in which BST training was delivered to caregivers? Method Using academic databases (PsychINFO, ERIC), this review assessed peer-reviewed articles that evaluated BST to train caregivers to implement communication procedures using single-case designs. The initial search resulted in 1,394 articles. Results 14 studies met inclusion criteria in this review. Conclusion Results suggested the efficacy of BST procedures during the training of caregivers to teach manding skills. Further evaluations of the effect of BST with caregivers related to communication instruction to their children with autism are needed. Also, an analysis of variables that could potentially improve aspects of BST delivery warrant further investigation (e.g., training time, setting, child presence during training). The state of the research base related to the efficacy of BST in this context, and recommendations for future research and implications for the practice are discussed.