Higher education and behavior analysis in Europe: creating a unified approach for the training of autism professionals

Roll-Pettersson, Lise; Gena, Angeliki; Eldevik, Sigmund; Moderato, Paolo; Sigurðardóttir, Zuilma Gabriela; Dillenburger, Karola; Keenan, Michael; Ala’i-Rosales, Shahla

doi:10.1080/15021149.2020.1758990

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This likely reflects the variety of previous professional experiences of the clinicians, including receiving training and being directly involved in delivering ASD-specific behavioral interventions, rather than their seniority. As discussed more extensively in Salomone et al ( 2021 ), the uptake of CST intervention strategies by part of specialist professionals who nonetheless have received limited training in developmental/behavioral methods (Roll-Pettersson et al, 2020 ) presents with specific challenges.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Salomone

Settanni

Suma

et al. 2021

J Autism Dev Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Parents of children with ASD (N = 86; mean age 44.8 months; 67 boys) were randomized to either WHO Caregiver Skills Training (CST) delivered in public health settings in Italy or enhanced treatment-as-usual. Primary blinded outcomes were 3-months post-intervention change scores of autism severity and engagement during caregiver-child interaction. CST was highly acceptable to caregivers and feasibly delivered by trained local clinicians. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a large and significant effect on parent skills supporting joint engagement and a smaller significant effect on flow of interaction. Expected changes in child autism severity and joint engagement did not meet statistical significance. Analysis of secondary outcomes showed a significant effect on parenting stress, self-efficacy, and child gestures. Strategies to improve the effectiveness of CST are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Salomone

Settanni

Suma

et al. 2021

J Autism Dev Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In HICs, while there may be more resources for implementation in community settings, it is still necessary to identify and address potentially culturally inappropriate or challenging elements (Stahmer et al, 2019). Until recently, in several European countries, including Italy, psychoanalytic methods were the primary approach taught in mental health and child development professions, and comprehensive training in behavioural principles at higher-education level is still lacking today (Roll-Pettersson et al, 2020). In the past decades, there have been substantial shifts in the clinical understanding of autism among Italian practitioners (Di Santo & Magoni, 2020), although 50% of child neuropsychiatry services still do not offer any kind of ASD-specific interventions and provision of behavioural or developmental interventions is patchy (Borgi et al, 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptability and feasibility of the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training implemented in the Italian National Health System

Salomone

Ferrante

Salandin

et al. 2021

Autism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Caregiver Skills Training programme is an evidence-informed group intervention developed by the World Health Organization to counter the treatment gap for neurodevelopmental disorders in children. We examined feasibility and acceptability of Caregiver Skills Training in public child neuropsychiatry services in Italy. Following a formative adaptation process and a pre-pilot implementation, the programme was piloted in six centres. Caregivers of children (2–5 years) with autism spectrum disorder were randomised to either Caregiver Skills Training ( n = 43) or treatment as usual ( n = 43). Professionals’ and caregivers’ experiences in the treatment arm were examined with focus groups and questionnaires. The programme was largely considered acceptable, relevant and feasible. Specific implementation challenges and suggestions for optimising the package are discussed. Lay abstract Across the globe, children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, have limited access to care through public services. To improve access to care the World Health Organization developed a novel, open-access programme: the Caregiver Skills Training programme. The Caregiver Skills Training consists of nine group sessions and three individual home visits, focused on training the caregiver on how to use everyday play and home routines as opportunities for learning and development. We implemented Caregiver Skills Training in public child neuropsychiatry services in Italy and examined with questionnaires and focus groups how feasible it was to deliver the programme in public health settings and how acceptable and relevant it was for caregiver users. We found that the Caregiver Skills Training was largely considered acceptable and relevant for families and feasible to deliver. We discuss potential solutions to address the specific implementation challenges that were identified, such as strategies to improve training of interventionists and overcome barriers to caregiver participation.

show abstract

“…It is regrettable that a certain amount of unprofessional conduct has crept into service delivery in some places (Keenan et al, 2010;cf. Sallows, 2000) and a credible rejection of the use of aversive procedures in early records (Lovaas, 1987; European Association of Behaviour Analysis [EABA], 2022 ;Dillenburger & Keenan, 1994;Keenan & Dillenburger, 2020;Leaf et al, 2018;Odom, 2021) has meant that condemnation of ABA has gained traction in other quarters (Milton, 2012). This is unfortunate, in particular because the science of behavior analysis has a long history of rejecting the use of aversives.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Development of Behavior Analysts in Europe: A Snapshot for 21 Countries

Keenan

Dillenburger

Konrad³

et al. 2022

Behav Analysis Practice

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Behavior analysts are not recognized or regulated as a distinct profession in Europe. For the most part, European behavior analysts adhered to the standards set by the U.S.-based Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). However, the BACB certification has not been recognized officially in any European jurisdiction. The recent decision by the BACB to discontinue eligibility of non-U.S. residents to apply for the BCBA exam by the end of 2022 has brought the issue of professional regulation outside of the United States into sharp focus. This article offers a snapshot in time of professional recognition of behavior analysts in 21 European countries. It stems from the Erasmus+ funded EuroBA project and its Professional Advisory Group (PAG). The EuroBA project aims to develop common standards and competences for behavior analysts to facilitate national regulation and mutual recognition across Europe.

show abstract

Higher education and behavior analysis in Europe: creating a unified approach for the training of autism professionals

Cited by 15 publications

References 43 publications

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training in Public Health Services in Italy

Acceptability and feasibility of the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training implemented in the Italian National Health System

Professional Development of Behavior Analysts in Europe: A Snapshot for 21 Countries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About