Intensive Behavioral Intervention and Family Psychological Adjustment in Autism

Abstract

When Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) is delivered at home – to the heart of the family – it can be a dramatically successful intervention for young children with autism. Given that substantial numbers of parents throughout the world are currently engaged in an IBI program in the home, it is important that the impact of IBI on family functioning is better understood. This chapter focuses on the psychological adjustment of parents and siblings of children with autism on IBI programs. Research has demonstrated that although parents (particularly mothers) and some siblings of children with autism may be at increased risk of adjustment problems than controls, there are no reported additional increases in risk for parents or siblings through engagement in IBI. It is possible that the positive and negative impacts of involvement in these programs essentially cancel themselves out. The implications of these findings for more supportive interventions for families on IBI home programs are discussed.