Effects of sibling training on in-home applied behavior analysis programs and attitudes toward children with autism

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a training program designed for siblings of children with autism. The training program attempted to educate siblings about autism and teach them some skills they may be able to use when interacting with their autistic brother or sister. In addition this training attempted to improve the attitudes of the siblings toward children with autism. The effects of sibling training on maladaptive behavior of children diagnosed with autism were examined before and after a one-day workshop on behavior therapy and autism. In addition, siblings' attitudes toward the autistic child before and after the training were examined. Curricula included basic principles of applied behavior analysis and discrete trial training, as well as basic education on what autism is and the variety of ways it may manifest itself in an individual. Previous research in this field has shown positive effects on behavior as a result of parent training. Parent training is believed to provide the child diagnosed with autism with non-therapeutic relationships that have greater similarity to the therapeutic environment, resulting in greater consistency in behavior change and more effective treatment. It was therefore hypothesized that similar results would be found after training of siblings. Furthermore it was hypothesized that the additional effect of an improved attitude toward the autistic child would occur, thereby increasing the likelihood of positive and constructive interactions between the sibling and the autistic child. The training workshop was administered to siblings of children with autism who are currently receiving in-home behavioral support. The training group consisted of 4 siblings ranging in ages from 8 to 14 years. Two groups of two siblings each were formed based on age level and participant availability, in one training pairing two siblings that are close in age, and in the other training pairing two siblings from the same family. Using a multiple-baseline design, two training sessions were administered at different times, one for each set of two siblings. It was hypothesized that the sibling training would demonstrate that when siblings are provided with information and skills in the area of behavior analysis and autism, their attitudes toward autistic children would become more positive, they would interact more frequently and positively with their autistic sibling, and the frequency and intensity of maladaptive behavior exhibited by the autistic child would decrease. A further implication of this study is that sibling training will assist in further success of in-home behavioral support plans and in the creation of behavioral programs. The results of this study indicate changes in the predicted direction of the hypotheses. Although no significant changes were found regarding the siblings' attitudes becoming more positive toward the child diagnosed with autism, as well as the siblings and client having more positive interactions as a result of the training, the results indicate a trend toward the direction predicted by the researcher. Siblings 1 and 3 showed a decrease in perceived social distance among family members at posttest and follow-up when compared to pretest scores. Although total scores for all siblings were not significantly lower, indicating less perceived social distance, the results were once again in the predicted direction. It was also observed that after the intervention the parents reported giving both the sibling and the client more equal attention when compared to pretest. Further results showed significant reductions in rate of maladaptive behavior in Client 2 and Client 3. Client 2 showed a significant decrease in Verbal Outburst and Escape behavior after intervention when compared to baseline rates. Client 3 showed a significant decrease in Verbal outburst, Escape, Noncompliance, and Overall rate of behavior after intervention when compared to baseline rates. The results of this study indicate that sibling training may have positive effects on the siblings' attitudes toward the child with autism, assisting in creating more positive interactions between the sibling and client, as well as decreasing the maladaptive behaviors displayed by the client, but future research should be conducted to further validate these trends.