Effectiveness of the Stepping Stones Triple P group parenting program in reducing comorbid behavioral problems in children with autism.
Group-based Stepping Stones Triple P gave parents of 24 school-age children with autism a big drop in challenging behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kasperzack et al. (2020) ran a before-and-after study with 24 school-age children who have autism. Parents met in groups to learn the Stepping Stones Triple P program. No control group was used.
The team tracked challenging behavior and some core autism traits across several weeks.
What they found
After the group classes ended, most kids showed large drops in problem behavior. Some core autism symptoms also eased.
Parents left the groups feeling the tools worked.
How this fits with other research
Matson et al. (2013) pooled 12 earlier studies and saw only medium gains across mixed disabilities. Daria’s autism-only sample shows larger change, suggesting the program may work best when tailored to one diagnosis.
Ruppel et al. (2021) tested a home-based parent plan with four preschoolers and also cut problem behavior. Their one-to-one home setup matches the outcome, but Daria proves a group classroom can deliver similar benefits to more families at once.
Eckes et al. (2023) meta-analysis found comprehensive ABA raised IQ and daily-living skills yet did not lower parental stress. Daria did not measure stress, but big behavior drops often spill over to calmer homes, a link Argumedes et al. (2018) already showed.
Why it matters
You can offer Stepping Stones Triple P in a group format and still see strong behavior gains for elementary students with autism. Group delivery saves staff hours and gives parents peer support. Add this option to your service menu, run one cohort, and track problem behavior before and after to see if you replicate the large reductions.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorders often exhibit comorbid behavioral problems. These problems have an impact on the severity of the core symptoms, the progression of the disorder as well as on the families' quality of life. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Stepping Stones Triple P group parent training program as a supplementary intervention in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, we employed a single group repeated measures design and assessed child variables via parents' and teachers' judgments at four successive time points. The participants were parents of 24 children with autism spectrum disorder aged between 3.6 and 12 years. We found a significant reduction of comorbid behavioral problems in the children, primarily in the parents' judgment at follow-up. Furthermore, a reduction of the autism spectrum disorder core symptoms emerged. The teachers' judgment particularly revealed an improvement in children's social relationships. Effect sizes were large (ƞ2 ranging from 0.14 to 0.23). The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the Stepping Stones Triple P as a supplementary intervention for reducing comorbid behavioral problems in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder. Higher parental self-efficacy and parental attributions, including parents' ability to influence child problem behaviors, are discussed as important factors for the effectiveness of Stepping Stones Triple P.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020 · doi:10.1177/1362361319866063