Parent reported treatment priorities for children with autism spectrum disorders

We designed an Internet survey to identify the educational priorities that parents have for their children with autism spectrum disorders and to examine the relation between these priorities and the children's level of adaptive behavior functioning. The survey listed 54 skills/behaviors (e.g., toileting, expressing wants and needs, and tantrums) representing 10 adaptive behavior domains (e.g., self-care, communication, and problem behavior). Parents rated their child's current level of ability/performance with respect to each skill/behavior and indicated the extent to which training/treatment was a priority. Ninety surveys were completed during the 8-month data collection period. The top 10 treatment priorities represented skills/behaviors from six different domains. Results supported the view that parent priorities tended to be higher in areas where children have the greatest deficits or show emerging skills. The results suggest there may be value in targeting the assessment of children's deficits and emergent skills for treatment planning.