UCSB KOEGEL AUTISM CENTER:
REMOTE (PARENT EDUCATION) PROGRAM
Summary of Program
The week-long program is an intensive parent education program that introduces parents to the motivational procedures of Pivotal Response Training. The focus of the program is individualized to meet each client’s unique communication, social, and behavioral needs. Families meet with clinicians each day, for a total of 5 days.
Setting. Sessions will be conducted in clinic session rooms at the Koegel Autism Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The consultation rooms will contain a table, chairs, video camera, and a variety of stimulus materials. Additional sessions will be conducted in nearby community settings such as at restaurants, parks, and shops. The specific ratio of time spent in the various settings will be individualized depending on the individual’s interests, individual/family characteristics and other environmental factors.
Clinicians. Clinicians are masters or doctoral degree students in Special Education and/or Counseling, Clinical, or School Psychology. Clinicians all have extensive experience working with people with autism and providing behavioral interventions to families. In addition, a clinical supervisor (a licensed speech pathologist with a Ph.D. in Psychology or board certified behavior analyst with a Ph.D. in Special Education) will observe and attend sessions to provide additional consultation and feedback.
Pre-intervention video-tapes. Videotaped probes should be conducted in each individual’s home (via videotape observations) while the individual with ASD is interacting with his or her parent(s) (and may include other family members). These observations will include interactions that are typical or representative of those between the individual with ASD and the parent(s) (i.e. mealtime, leisure time, study time) and will take place in the families’ homes. Additional sessions with the individual with ASD and other adults who are key social agents in the individual’s life may also be included. The clinician will provide instructions on how and where to send these videos prior to scheduling the remote week.
Individual Intervention and Parent Education Program. For each family, the individual with ASD (and primary caregivers, if applicable) and the parent educator will be present during all sessions. Other family (i.e., parents, grandparents) and educational team (i.e., speech therapist, school specialist) members are invited to be present during the sessions as well. Intervention sessions will take place for 5 hours per day over 5 consecutive days, for a total of twenty-five hours.
The intervention program will begin with an informal introduction and meeting between the individual with ASD, or parents, and parent educator to observe the interactions of the individual with ASD, discuss target behaviors, and become familiar with the family. Following this brief initial meeting, the parents/individual with ASD will be provided with a copy of materials relevant to his/her treatment program, which describe specific techniques of Pivotal Response Treatment. Throughout the sessions, the parents and others may be provided with additional materials such as research articles, book chapters, or manuals that may assist them in working with their son/daughter/client. These materials will be recommended based on the unique needs of the individual with ASD. There is a nominal fee for these materials.
Each day during the program, the primary caregivers (if participating) receive continuous feedback from the clinician during interactions with their son/daughter. The specific motivational techniques will be introduced to the parents as they relate to their son/daughter and/or to the individual with ASD. All target behaviors will be individualized based on the client’s needs. Throughout the week, the individual with ASD will receive direct intervention by their clinicians on their individualized target behaviors.
On the final day of the program, there will be a meeting to discuss and review the techniques presented as they applied directly to the work with the individual with ASD. Additionally, recommendations for the individual’s educational program will be provided.
Follow-up contact. Each family will receive a report summarizing the program as the techniques were applied. Additional educational and behavioral recommendations may also be included depending on the needs of the individual with ASD. Families will then send follow-up videotapes of the individual interacting with the primary caregiver (and possible other adults or family members) in their home, school, or community environment. Families will also be encouraged to maintain contact via email, telephone or mail. Feedback will be provided to the families based on the videos and other information provided and additional recommendations may be made at any time. Further, Skype consultations may be scheduled to follow-up at an additional fee.
Fees. The week-long remote program costs a total of $3,500.00. A deposit of $1500.00 dollars is due a month prior to participation. The remaining fees are due at the beginning of the week of intervention. All payments should be addressed to UC Regents.