7 - (IOP18) Cultural Adaptation of the Spanish RUBI Parent Training Program: Enhancing Engagement and Effectiveness for Latinx Caregivers of Autistic Children

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication and interactions and the presence of repetitive and restricted behaviors and interests. Along with core ASD characteristics, difficulties following instructions, irritability, and aggressive behaviors highly co-occur in autistic youth (Edelson, 2022). These challenges are strongly associated with lower quality of life, increased social isolation, increased school problems, and increased parental stress (Kanne & Mazurek, 2011; Lecavalier et al., 2006; Soke et al., 2016). Despite the growing need, there are still limited evidence-based interventions designed for caregivers of Latinx autistic children (Lopez et al., 2022; Maldonado et al., 2023). The RUBI program is a manualized, time-limited, evidence-based caregiver training intervention designed for autistic children with mild-to-moderate challenging behaviors. It aims to reduce challenging behaviors and increase daily living skills (Bearss et al., 2015). A randomized trial has documented the RUBI program's effectiveness with English-speaking caregivers, including reducing challenging behaviors, being acceptable to caregivers, and increasing adaptive skills in autistic children (Bearss et al., 2015; Scahill et al., 2016). Although adaptations of the RUBI program have been explored, including telehealth delivery (Gould et al., 2023) and group settings (Burrell et al., 2020), the need for cultural adaptations for underrepresented populations remain significantly underexplored (Lee et al., 2024; Maldonado et al., 2023). This study introduces a culturally responsive, group-based adaptation of the RUBI program in Spanish for Latinx caregivers of autistic children, aiming to enhance parental engagement and improve treatment effectiveness. Cultural, technological, and logistical considerations were integrated into the adaptation of the Spanish RUBI program. The development of the Spanish RUBI program will be discussed including elements of the process such as referral, triaging, screening, scheduling, providing psychoeducation, conducting each session, use of measures for data collection, and ensuring maintenance and generalization strategies. Preliminary results from 12 autistic children whose caregivers are Latinx and completed the intervention in Spanish via telehealth by a certified bilingual psychologist are discussed. Measures were administered pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. Participants reported significant reductions in challenging behaviors, increased cooperation with daily activities, and increased acquisition of daily living skills. Clinical and research implications will be further discussed.