Parent-implemented behavioral skills training of social skills.

Impairment in social skills is a primary feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Research indicates that social skills are intimately tied to social development and negative social consequences can persist if specific social behaviors are not acquired. The present study evaluated the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on teaching four parents of children with ASDs to be social skills trainers. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across parent-child dyads was employed and direct observation was used to assess parent and child behaviors Results demonstrated substantial improvement in social skills teaching for all participants for trained and untrained skills. Ancillary measures of child performance indicated improvement in skills as well. High levels of correct teaching responses were maintained at a 1 month follow-up. This study extends current literature on BST while also providing a helpful, low-effort strategy to modify how parents can work with their children to improve their social skills.

The effect of location on psychotropic treatment practices among pediatricians.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to examine how access factors affect prescribing practices of psychotropic medications among pediatricians. More specifically, the aim of the current study was to examine differences in the treatment of mental and behavioral health problems among children and adolescents across small nonmetropolitan, regional, metropolitan, and urban settings across the United States. METHOD: A total of 516 pediatricians working in outpatient clinics located in 12 US states, 3 in each of the following regions: New England, the Plains, the Pacific Northwest, and the South completed surveys on their prescription practices for children and adolescents with mental and behavioral health needs. RESULTS: Findings indicate that pediatricians in small nonmetropolitan settings with populations of fewer than 20,000 prescribe antidepressants; antianxiety, antipanic, and antiobsessive medication; antipsychotics; and mood stabilizers significantly more frequently than their counterparts in urban, metropolitan, and regional settings. CONCLUSION: Implications of these findings for clinical practice and training are discussed.