Effects of coaching on the fidelity of parent implementation of reciprocal imitation training.

Penney et al. (2019) worked with parents of children with autism.

Parents first sat through a lecture-style class on reciprocal imitation training.

After class each parent got one short 1:1 coaching session while playing with their child.

The team then watched how well parents used the steps and how often kids imitated.

Every parent carried out the steps better after the extra coaching.

Some children also started copying their parents more often during play.

The brief add-on lifted both parent fidelity and child imitation.

Nuta et al. (2021) extends this idea. They gave parents a full behavioral-skills package plus ongoing coaching at home. Parents kept high fidelity and child problem behavior dropped.

Paden et al. (2025) shows a different path. Staff watched short phone videos of their own sessions and self-scored fidelity. Accuracy stayed high even when no supervisor was in the room.

The three studies line up: a small extra step after basic training keeps adults sharp, whether the extra step is live parent coaching, ongoing BST, or video self-checks.

You can copy the Ashley recipe today. After you teach parents any new skill, stay five extra minutes. Watch them try it, give one quick tip, and leave. This single add-on can push their accuracy up and may spark more child imitation without extra clinic visits.