A scoping review of the caregiver training literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder
Caregiver-training studies rarely check if parents value the plan or speak English—build those steps into your next program.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kemmerer and her team read every caregiver-training paper they could find for kids with autism.
They pulled 142 studies and asked two questions: Do researchers check if parents like the training? Do they describe culture or language?
They used a scoping-review map to show where the holes are.
What they found
Only one in three studies said how much parents liked the training.
Almost none said what language the family spoke or where they were born.
When social-validity numbers were given, they showed up only after training ended.
How this fits with other research
Samtani et al. (2021) and Perry et al. (2024) saw the same blank spots in cancer-care training for people with IDD. All three reviews find caregivers get little guidance and no clear tools.
Chan et al. (2023) showed that mealtime services work better when teams manage parent hopes up front. That lines up with Kemmerer’s call to measure social validity early and often.
Iadarola et al. (2015) heard urban school staff beg for “practical ASD training.” Their plea matches Kemmerer’s map: most papers skip real-life detail like language, culture, and parent views.
Why it matters
If you write a parent-training plan, add a social-validity sheet at baseline and each follow-up. Ask, “Is this goal useful to you?” and “Does it fit your culture?” Write the answers in the report. You will meet the new gold standard and avoid the gaps this review flags.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractBoth caregiver training and the collection of social validity data are considered to be important and integral part of applied behavior analytic treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Previous reviewers have offered repeated calls for increased frequency of social validity data collection but recently, the increased understanding and focus on equitable and culturally responsive behavior analytic treatment have again highlighted the importance of social validity data collection. One recent review of behavior analytic treatments for children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds conducted an in‐depth analysis of social validity data collection. The authors found generally vague descriptions of social validity provided as well as data collected primarily after a study was conducted. No previous caregiver training reviews have specifically evaluated socially validity data collection within the context of caregiver training nor have they evaluated cultural responsiveness of the treatments. The current scoping review evaluated general findings on caregiver training as well as expanded the scope of previous reviews by providing an analysis of social validity data collection in caregiver training and variables to consider when providing culturally responsive treatment.
Behavioral Interventions, 2023 · doi:10.1002/bin.1939