(PS10-C57) Feasibility and Acceptability of the BLINK Program for Children Suspected of a Diagnosis of Autism

Recent prevalence data found that approximately 1 in 44 children aged eight are diagnosed with ASD, an increase from previous estimations. Across studies, the prevalence of clinically significant externalizing problem behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is between 25% and 53%. Parents of children with ASD have been shown to experience higher levels of stress. Behavioral parent training (BPT) programs, like the RUBI parenting program have been shown to be effective interventions for child externalizing problem behaviors in the ASD population. Therefore, the main purpose of the present study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual, abbreviated, and flexible community implementation of the RUBI program protocol (i.e., BLINK).

Participants thus far include 28 caregivers of children suspected of having a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 2 and 8. Currently, 8 families have completed post data. Participants are recruited from the Autism Diagnostic Clinic and the early intervention clinics. The program is a 1-hour per week, for 6-10 weeks, didactic parent mediated behavioral intervention program that focuses on behavior principles, increasing appropriate behavior, and decreasing less desirable behavior. There are 6 core sessions (i.e., behavior principles, prevention strategies, daily schedules, reinforcement #1, reinforcement #2, and planned ignoring) and several flex sessions (e.g., compliance training, functional communication training, imitation, toilet training #1 and #2, crisis management, and teaching adaptive skills #1 and #2).

Parent and child outcome measures include the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4), and a clinician impression global improvement score. Feasibility of the BLINK program will be analyzed utilizing several different types of measurement. A parent engagement score from 0 to 3 (3 indicating more engagement) is given at each session, a parent homework completion score, parent attendance record, a parent objectives percentage, and how many sessions completed will be included in the feasibility analysis. Furthermore, treatment fidelity checklists are being completed for each session by the primary therapist and interobserver agreement will be acquired for approximately 20% of sessions.

            Several paired samples t-tests will be completed from pre to post treatment. Of the eight families that have completed post-measures thus far, all stated they now know how to teach their child how to behave and that they would recommend the program. Half stated they would have preferred in-person over telehealth, three stated “not sure”, and one preferred telehealth. The average therapist integrity across sessions was between 88% and 96%. Average Parent engagement across sessions ranged from 1.5 to 3, with most scores at an average of 3. Current data indicates that the BLINK program is acceptable to caregivers and can feasibly be implemented. These preliminary results provide support for the continued research and use of brief virtual intervention formats in a community setting for children suspected of an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and their families.