Practice Recommendations for Addressing Problem Behaviors in Siblings with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display an increased prevalence of problem behavior, relative to the typically developing population. Given the heritability of ASD and its growing prevalence, clinicians who implement behavioral treatments are likely to encounter families with siblings with ASD who exhibit problem behavior. Thus, there is a need for guidance for treatment of problem behavior for these families. This paper presents strategies for conducting behavioral assessments, developing treatments for problem behaviors, caregiver training, and generalization strategies when there are multiple affected children in one family. A case study is presented to illustrate the key clinical decisions made to increase the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome for these families.