ASD Parent Trainer: Online coaching for parents of children with autism (APT)

PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this project is to develop and disseminate the Autism Parent Trainer (APT), an online platform that provides parents of children with autism coach-facilitated instruction in how to teach new behaviors, manage problem behaviors, and learn emotion regulation and stress reduction strategies. APT will use Google+ Hangouts technology as the communication medium, which allows participants to: (a) synchronously attend online workshops where they can interact with a coach, a group of peers, and a curriculum grounded in evidence-based practice; and (b) asynchronously accessed skill-building instructional materials related to the online instruction. Significance: The APT delivery model addresses the well-documented shortcomings of current parent training approaches, including limited accessibility, high cost, and lack of peer support. In Phase I, we will pilot and test three introductory online sessions focused on: (a) making adjustments to family functioning, (b) teaching appropr