Feasibility and potential efficacy of the family-centered Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model with families of children with developmental disorders.
Parents can run PTR at home with coach support and quickly cut problem behavior while building replacement skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three families of preschoolers with autism or developmental delay got the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce plan. A coach came to each home and taught the parents to run every step themselves.
The team used a multiple-baseline design. They waited to start each family so they could show the change came from the plan, not from luck.
What they found
Every child cut problem behavior and used more useful replacement skills. Parents kept score and hit high fidelity scores, proving they ran the plan correctly.
The gains showed up quickly and stayed while the coach faded out.
How this fits with other research
McGonigle et al. (2014) tested Stepping Stones Triple P in the same age group but saw only small child gains. PTR gives parents clearer behavior-specific steps, which may explain the bigger change.
Burrell et al. (2020) later showed group RUBI classes also work. PTR and RUBI both cut disruptive behavior, but PTR adds an in-home coach until parents hit fidelity, while RUBI used a classroom format.
Cosbey et al. (2017) used the same family-coach, multiple-baseline style for feeding problems and saw equally large drops in problem behavior. The design keeps working across very different targets.
Why it matters
You can hand parents a short PTR manual, visit a few times, and still get strong behavior change. Use this when clinic time is tight or insurance limits direct hours. Start with one family, track fidelity each visit, and move to the next only after the first shows clear gains.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the feasibility and potential efficacy of the family-centered Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model with three families of young children with an autism spectrum disorder or language delay with sensory processing problems. Particularly, the study assessed the family adherence to the PTR intervention, changes in child behavior, family use of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST), procedural integrity, and social validity. A multiple-baseline design across families was used to examine the functional relation between parent-implemented PTR intervention and changes in child behavior. Results indicated that the family-centered PTR process was successful in promoting parents to design and implement the PTR intervention plans with fidelity, and the parents' implemented intervention plans were effective in increasing replacement behavior and decreasing problem behavior across children. The results also indicated that the parents successfully used the IBRST to monitor their child's progress and were highly satisfied with the PTR intervention process and outcomes for their children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.09.019