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Behavioral Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 5
10.3390/bs16050662
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Article

Increasing PRIDE Skills for Child Engagement Using CDI-Only iPCIT with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

by
Jordan T. Etherington
1,*,
Zachary C. LaBrot
1,
Emily R. DeFouw
1,
Brad Dufrene
1,
Brittany D. Garza
1,
Amarah Sweaks
1 and
Briley Newcomb
1,2
1
School of Psychology, College of Education and Human Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
2
Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, College of Education, The University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050662
Submission received: 20 January 2026 / Revised: 10 April 2026 / Accepted: 24 April 2026 / Published: 28 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial and Behavioral Interventions for Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disorders)
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Abstract

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display elevated levels of challenging behaviors and decreased social engagement. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) may help children with ASD increase rates at which they engage and interact with their caregivers. Existing barriers to treatment completion, including high attrition and travel time and costs, may be ameliorated by delivering PCIT virtually (iPCIT) and setting attainable mastery criteria. This study utilized a multiple baseline design across three caregiver-child dyads with ASD to determine whether an iPCIT protocol affected caregivers’ use of positive engagement skills, children’s engagement, and children’s challenging behaviors. Results demonstrated increased and improved caregiver-implemented engagement and behavior management practices with some improvements in child outcomes. These findings suggested that iPCIT is an effective treatment modality for teaching parents to increase and maintain their use of positive engagement skills across time. Without explicit instructions to avoid negative interaction behaviors, increases in positive engagement skills did not result in concomitant decreases in negative interaction behaviors. Increases in social engagement were observed for two children, but a decrease in engagement was observed in the third. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Keywords: autism; parent training; iPCIT; child engagement; challenging behavior; social validity autism; parent training; iPCIT; child engagement; challenging behavior; social validity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Etherington, J.T.; LaBrot, Z.C.; DeFouw, E.R.; Dufrene, B.; Garza, B.D.; Sweaks, A.; Newcomb, B. Increasing PRIDE Skills for Child Engagement Using CDI-Only iPCIT with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 662. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050662

AMA Style

Etherington JT, LaBrot ZC, DeFouw ER, Dufrene B, Garza BD, Sweaks A, Newcomb B. Increasing PRIDE Skills for Child Engagement Using CDI-Only iPCIT with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(5):662. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050662

Chicago/Turabian Style

Etherington, Jordan T., Zachary C. LaBrot, Emily R. DeFouw, Brad Dufrene, Brittany D. Garza, Amarah Sweaks, and Briley Newcomb. 2026. "Increasing PRIDE Skills for Child Engagement Using CDI-Only iPCIT with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 5: 662. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050662

APA Style

Etherington, J. T., LaBrot, Z. C., DeFouw, E. R., Dufrene, B., Garza, B. D., Sweaks, A., & Newcomb, B. (2026). Increasing PRIDE Skills for Child Engagement Using CDI-Only iPCIT with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences, 16(5), 662. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050662

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