Traditional Workshop 8 - RUBI Parent Training for Autistic Youth with Challenging Behaviors

It has been well documented that challenging behaviors, such as irritability, aggression, meltdowns, and transition difficulties, are very common in autistic youth and emerge in early childhood. These challenging behaviors are strongly associated with poor quality of life, social isolation, behavioral crisis, school difficulties, and parental stress and depression (Kanne & Mazurek, 2011; Lecavalier et al., 2006; Soke et al., 2016). RUBI is a manualized, time-limited parent training intervention for autistic youth, which has strong evidence for reducing challenging behaviors and improving daily living skills (Bearss et al., 2015).

In this workshop, we will provide the audience with an in-depth educational experience on RUBI through didactic instruction, video clips, role-play of a RUBI session, and educational handouts. Core RUBI sessions will be reviewed, including behavioral principles (emphasizing the antecedent-behavior-consequence model), prevention strategies, reinforcement, mindful attention (planned ignoring), functional communication training, and skill building. We will review how RUBI is structured, and the audience will have the opportunity to see how a RUBI session is conducted. Lastly, we will review the current evidence supporting the effectiveness of RUBI and how to approach intervention delivery through a neurodiversity-affirming lens.

Recommended Reading 1: Bearss, K., Johnson, C., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Swiezy, N., Aman, M., ... & Scahill, L. (2015). Effect of parent training vs parent education on behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 313(15), 1524-1533.

Recommended Reading 2: Scahill, L., Bearss, K., Lecavalier, L., Smith, T., Swiezy, N., Aman, M. G., ... & Johnson, C. (2016). Effect of parent training on adaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: Results of a randomized trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(7), 602-609.

Recommended Reading 3: Burrell, T. L., Postorino, V., Scahill, L., Rea, H. M., Gillespie, S., Evans, A. N., & Bearss, K. (2020). Feasibility of group parent training for children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: a demonstration pilot. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(11), 3883-3894.

Recommended Reading 4: Bearss, K., Burrell, T. L., Challa, S. A., Postorino, V., Gillespie, S. E., Crooks, C., & Scahill, L. (2018). Feasibility of parent training via telehealth for children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior: A demonstration pilot. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48, 1020-1030.

Recommended Reading 5: Iadarola, S., Levato, L., Harrison, B., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Johnson, C., ... & Scahill, L. (2018). Teaching parents behavioral strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Effects on stress, strain, and competence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1031-1040.

Outline:
Learn about challenging behaviors in autism and potential treatments
• Types and rates of challenging behaviors
• Treatment options, including parent training approaches
• Use of parent training in the context of the neurodiversity movement
Discuss the structure of RUBI
• Overview of session content and behavior support plan
• Structure of treatment
• Treatment materials: therapist manual; parent workbook; video vignettes
• Engaging families in treatment
Learn about basic behavioral principles and other components of RUBI
• Behavioral principles
• Prevention strategies
• Reinforcement
• Mindful attention (planned ignoring)
• Supporting follow through with instructions
• Functional communication training
• Skill building
• Generalizing and maintaining improvements in challenging behaviors and adaptive skills
Observe speaker role-play of a RUBI session
Review of the current evidence supporting RUBI