Use of a Direct Observational Measure in a Trial of Risperidone and Parent Training in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
A short play test caught real gains in child compliance and parent praise when training was added to risperidone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers added parent training to risperidone for kids with autism. They used a live 10-minute parent-child play test called the SOAP. The team watched who followed directions and who praised good behavior.
The study ran for 24 weeks. Families got medicine alone or medicine plus coaching. Observers scored the play test without knowing which group the family was in.
What they found
Both groups had fewer problem behaviors and more child compliance. The group with parent training also showed more parent praise and positive talk. The SOAP tool caught these small gains.
In short, pills helped, but adding parent coaching gave an extra boost in good parenting moves.
How this fits with other research
Boydston et al. (2023) later showed rural families can get the same big skill jumps through telehealth OASIS. Their parents gained over 80% more correct moves, proving distance coaching works too.
Lee et al. (2022) tried short online modules. Parents liked them and felt smarter, yet no one measured real child behavior. Matson et al. (2013) fills that gap by showing a live test can spot real change.
Scahill et al. (2016) also ran a drug trial and found the CY-BOCS-ASD form picks up repetitive-behavior change. Together these papers tell us: pick the right ruler for the skill you care about—SOAP for compliance, CY-BOCS-ASD for rituals.
Why it matters
You now have a cheap, 10-minute play test that shows if parent training is working. Run SOAP before and after coaching to see if praise and compliance move. If scores stall, boost parent praise first—no extra meds needed.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A Structured Observational Analog Procedure (SOAP), an analogue measure of parent-child interactions, was used to assess treatment outcome in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and serious behavior problems. It served as a secondary outcome measure in a 24-week, randomized trial of risperidone (MED; N=49) versus risperidone plus parent training (COMB; n=75) (ages 4-13 years). At 24-weeks, there was 28 % reduction in child inappropriate behavior during a Demand Condition (p=.0002) and 12 % increase in compliance to parental requests (p=.004) for the two treatment conditions combined. Parents displayed 64 % greater use of positive reinforcement (p=.001) and fewer repeated requests for compliance (p<.0001). In the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), COMB parents used significantly more positive reinforcement (p=.01) and fewer restrictive statements (p<.05) than MED parents. The SOAP is sensitive to change in child and parent behavior as a function of risperidone alone and in combination with PMT and can serve as a valuable complement to parent and clinician-based measures.
Journal of developmental and physical disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1007/s10882-012-9316-y