Evaluating Behavioral Skills Training as an Evidence-Based Practice When Training Parents to Intervene with Their Children.

The authors pulled every single-case paper that used BST to coach parents of kids with autism or intellectual disability. They found 20 studies covering 67 families. Each study taught parents to run an evidence-based intervention at home.

The team scored whether parents reached mastery and if kids made progress. They also checked how well the results held up over time.

BST worked across the board. Parents hit the mastery mark in every study. Kids learned new skills and problem behavior dropped.

The gains stuck. Parents kept their skills weeks or months later, and most kids kept improving even after formal coaching ended.

Seiverling et al. (2012) is inside this review. Their brief BST package helped parents expand picky eaters' menus and cut mealtime tantrums. The new paper shows that same four-step method works for many targets, not just feeding.

Clayton et al. (2019) and Matos et al. (2020) used near-identical BST steps to train staff and interns. They hit 90-100 % accuracy in under an hour. The review proves parents can hit the same bar, closing the gap between lab and living room.

Schaaf et al. (2015) stretched BST further by teaching adults with autism to deliver DTT and mand training. The review adds parents to the list of people who can learn fast and produce child gains when we follow the BST script.

You no longer need to wonder if BST is 'parent-friendly.' The evidence says it is. Pick any EBP your client needs—PRT, DTT, FCT, or a custom plan—then run BST with the parent. Model the steps, have them rehearse, give live feedback, and check mastery with a simple fidelity sheet. Most parents reach criterion in one or two sessions, and their kids keep learning after you leave. Start tomorrow by filming a 5-minute model and scheduling a rehearsal playdate.