Caregiver involvement in applied behavior‐analytic research: A scoping review and discussion

Becraft and team read 228 ABA studies that worked with caregivers. They asked: how are moms, dads, and other helpers being used? They sorted each paper into passive roles (just signing forms) or active roles (running programs, taking data).

Caregivers show up in 96% of the papers, but most only give consent or answer surveys. Fewer than one in ten studies ask them to collect any data. Training parents to run the intervention is common, yet we rarely measure what parents actually do.

Garikipati et al. (2024) just showed parents can deliver ABA after 40 hours of training and kids still gain skills. Becraft’s map says that kind of study is the exception, not the rule.

Bottema-Beutel et al. (2021) found that when caregivers talk while following the child’s focus, language grows. Becraft’s count agrees caregiver talk is measured, but shows we do it in dozens of different ways, so results are hard to compare.

Huntington et al. (2024) report that social-validity forms usually leave out the very people they serve. Becraft spotted the same hole: caregivers are present, yet their data voices are missing.

If you write a study plan this year, add a line that says ‘parent will record 10 trials daily.’ One extra column on your data sheet turns a passive observer into an active team member and gives you cleaner social-validity evidence at no extra cost.