A Pilot Feasibility Randomized Trial of the RUBI in Educational Settings Intervention With Paraeducators Supporting Autistic Students in Public Elementary Schools
RUBIES lifted para confidence yet failed to beat basic autism info for reducing student externalizing behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tested a short course called RUBIES with 40 paraeducators in U.S. elementary schools.
Each para worked one-on-one with an autistic student who showed hitting, yelling, or running.
Half the paras got RUBIES lessons plus coaching. The other half got basic autism facts.
The team tracked how well paras used the skills and how student behavior changed.
What they found
Paras liked RUBIES and used the steps with good fidelity.
They felt more sure of themselves after the training.
Yet student problem behavior dropped the same amount in both groups.
Extra RUBIES steps did not beat simple psychoeducation.
How this fits with other research
Chang et al. (2016) also ran a classroom RCT. Preschool teachers used JASPER and kids gained joint attention and play. RUBIES did not copy that child gain, likely because elementary externalizing is tougher to move.
Mulder et al. (2020) gave high-school teachers five BST workshops. Like RUBIES, staff confidence rose and student behavior improved. The difference: their control group waited, while RUBIES used an active control, so gains look smaller.
Pettingell et al. (2022) showed most elementary autism programs already score “weak” on teaching quality. RUBIES fits this picture: even with extra training, para skills did not lift child outcomes above a low baseline.
Why it matters
If you coach paras, expect a quick morale boost but do not bank on fewer meltdowns. Pair RUBIES with function-based plans or add daily performance feedback. Track each student’s own trend before you decide the training “worked.”
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This pilot randomized study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of RUBI in Educational Settings (RUBIES), a school-based adaptation of the evidence-based Research Unit in Behavioral Intervention (RUBI) parent training program, when implemented by elementary school paraeducators supporting autistic students with externalizing behaviors that impact safety and well-being. A 24-week pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted with 67 paraeducators and 65 autistic students across 39 public schools in the United States. Paraeducators were randomly assigned to RUBIES or an active comparator, Psychoeducation on Autistic Students in Schools (PASS). Feasibility outcomes, including adherence to intervention strategy implementation, were high for paraeducators receiving RUBIES. Acceptability measures demonstrated strong engagement and satisfaction among paraeducators, with RUBIES paraeducators reporting significantly greater confidence in managing student behaviors compared to those who received PASS. While both groups showed reductions in externalizing behaviors, no significant differences were found between RUBIES and PASS on standardized outcome measures of student externalizing behaviors. Findings suggest that RUBIES is a feasible and acceptable intervention for paraeducators, though further research is needed to assess its effectiveness in promoting behavioral change in autistic students at school.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1007/s10803-025-07072-8