ASD ASD Family Support and Caregiver Training 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Family-centered practice in ASD services requires that professionals regard caregivers as:
- Passive recipients of expert advice and information
- Active partners and experts on their own child who co-direct intervention goals (Correct answer)
- Observers who should not interfere with therapy sessions
- Individuals who need to be educated before their input is considered valid
Correct answer: Active partners and experts on their own child who co-direct intervention goals
Family-centered practice recognizes parents as the most knowledgeable about their child and positions them as collaborative decision-makers in the intervention process.
Question 2: Which of the following is a known predictor of better outcomes for children with ASD receiving early intervention?
- High family socioeconomic status without parental involvement in therapy
- Active caregiver participation in intervention and generalization across home routines (Correct answer)
- Intensive one-to-one therapy in clinical settings only
- Delayed initiation of services until school age
Correct answer: Active caregiver participation in intervention and generalization across home routines
Caregiver involvement is one of the strongest predictors of generalization and maintenance of gains made in early ASD intervention.
Question 3: A Functional Communication Training (FCT) plan implemented at home requires that parents FIRST learn to:
- Identify and consistently withhold all reinforcers until the new communicative response occurs
- Conduct an FBA to identify the function of the problem behavior before teaching a replacement (Correct answer)
- Use punishment procedures to suppress the behavior immediately
- Transfer the child to a residential program
Correct answer: Conduct an FBA to identify the function of the problem behavior before teaching a replacement
Parents must understand the behavioral function (e.g., escape, attention) before they can teach a replacement communication behavior that serves the same purpose.
Question 4: Sibling-focused support programs for families of individuals with ASD are important because siblings:
- Are unaffected by having a sibling with ASD in terms of family dynamics
- May experience unique emotional challenges including jealousy, anxiety, and unclear role expectations (Correct answer)
- Should take on a primary caregiving role as early as possible
- Require the same intervention as the child with ASD
Correct answer: May experience unique emotional challenges including jealousy, anxiety, and unclear role expectations
Siblings of autistic individuals face specific stressors that can impact their own mental health and require targeted support.
Question 5: Caregiver fidelity, or treatment integrity, in ASD home programs is best measured by:
- Parent-reported satisfaction questionnaires only
- Direct observation of caregiver skill implementation compared to a written protocol (Correct answer)
- Child progress data alone as a proxy for parent implementation quality
- The number of hours of training the caregiver attended
Correct answer: Direct observation of caregiver skill implementation compared to a written protocol
Direct observation against a checklist of protocol steps is the most reliable method to determine if caregivers are implementing interventions as designed.
Question 6: Which type of support has the strongest evidence for reducing parenting stress in ASD caregivers?
- Information-only pamphlets about ASD
- Combination of parent training, peer support groups, and access to respite services (Correct answer)
- Medication management for the caregiver
- Reducing the child's therapy schedule to lighten family burden
Correct answer: Combination of parent training, peer support groups, and access to respite services
Multicomponent interventions that combine skill training, emotional support, and practical relief show the best outcomes for reducing caregiver stress.
ASD ASD Family Support and Caregiver Training 2
Family-centered practice in ASD services requires that professionals regard caregivers as: