Addressing the Need for Training More School Psychologists to Serve Toddlers and Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly in the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers who have specialized training in delivering evidenced-based services to this population. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is an evidenced-based treatment recommended for toddlers with ASD, and school psychologists are uniquely positioned to help children with ASD receive it. However, many school psychologists do not receive adequate training in this subspecialty. This paper makes recommendations to school psychology training programs about how to add or improve training in this subspecialty based on the results of an Office of Special Education Programs grant-funded ASD training program which involved collaboration between a NASP-approved and APA-accredited school psychology training program and a community-based early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) clinic. The grant supported development of an interdisciplinary didactic and clinical training program to increase the ASD knowledge, skills, and competencies of school psychology graduate students, with the broader goals of developing a replicable training model and increasing the workforce of trained providers for this underserved population. Fifteen graduate students completed the training program. Outcomes related to trainee knowledge, skills, and competencies, trainee satisfaction, and lessons learned over time analyzed within a logic model that guided the project's development and execution can be informative for other school psychology programs undertaking training in this subspecialty.

Effects of Presession Pairing on Preference for Therapeutic Conditions and Challenging Behavior.

The current study examined child preference for presession therapeutic conditions. A 4-year-old female diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was exposed to three conditions in a concurrent-chains arrangement: presession pairing (PSP) prior to the onset of discrete-trial instruction (DTI), free play (FP) prior to DTI, or immediate onset of DTI. Initial link selections in the concurrent-chains arrangement suggested a relative preference for the PSP condition across multiple therapists. Negative vocalizations decreased across all conditions following implementation of the concurrent-chains arrangement with no differentiation between therapeutic conditions.

Expanding Access to Clinical Services for Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed in the toddler and preschool years. Intensive early intervention (EI) using applied behavior analytic procedures is the evidenced-based intervention most effective in improving developmental outcomes. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers to accessing EI services for toddlers with ASD. This article addresses (a) the process of developing an EI program using primarily applied behavior analytic services with multidisciplinary health care providers, (b) a description of the service delivery provided, (c) educational and training programs to increase qualified staff, and (d) advocacy efforts to improve community capacity. The EI program has sustained growth, improved child developmental outcomes, served as a training ground for EI providers, and yielded high parent satisfaction ratings. Suggestions for continued advocacy, education, research, and policy development related to the lack of access to EI for children with ASD is offered for pediatric health care providers.

Developing Procedures to Improve Therapist-Child Rapport in Early Intervention.

Rapport is a primary component in the development of a therapeutic relationship between health-service professionals and clients. Presession pairing is a procedure often recommended in behavior analytic practice to build rapport with clients. However, many service providers may not exhibit presession pairing skills correctly or at a sufficient rate. The current study aimed to operationally define therapist behaviors that are indicative of presession pairing and to train direct care staff to implement said skills.