Psychiatry Grand Rounds: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Young Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Presented by:
Melanie Nelson, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry

Faculty Disclosure:

Dr. Nelson has disclosed that she has no relevant financial relationship(s). No one else in a position to control content has any financial relationships to disclose. Conflict of interest information for the CME Advisory Committee members can be found on the following website: https://cme.ufl.edu/disclosure/. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Release Date: December 8, 2023
Expiration Date:  December 7, 2025

Target Audience: All physicians

Learning Objectives:

As a result of participation in this activity, participants should be able to:

  1. Describe the key features and core concepts of PCIT.
  2. Explain how PCIT is applied with young children with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, and ADHD.
  3. Appraise the research evidence supporting the use of PCIT with young children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Requirements for successful completion: Certificates are awarded upon successful completion (80% proficiency) of the post-test.

Accreditation: The University of Florida College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit: The University of Florida College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Resource(s) for further study:

  1. Ulaş S, Seçer İ, Victory EJ, McNeil CB. Scientific collaborations and research trends in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: a bibliometric analysis. Front Psychol. 2023 May 12;14:1167937. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1167937. PMID: 37251036; PMCID: PMC10213549.
  2. Agazzi, H., Tan, R., & Tan, S. Y. (2013). A Case Study of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Clinical Case Studies, 12, 428-442.
  3. Allen, K., Harrington, J., Quetsch, L. B., Masse, J., Cooke, C., & Paulson, J. F. (2023). Parent–child interaction therapy for children with disruptive behaviors and autism: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(1), 390–404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05428-y
  4. Bussing R., Eyberg, S., Guzick, A., and Nelson, M. (2019). Long-term outcomes of PCIT on ADHD symptoms. In M. Nelson (chair), Impact of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy on ADHD Symptoms and Medication Management Considerations. PCIT International Convention, Chicago, IL.
  5. Eyberg, S. M., & Funderburk, B. (2011). Parent-child interaction therapy protocol. Gainesville, FL: PCIT International.
  6. Han, R. C., Naguib, S., Owen, C. K., Druskin, L. R., Keen, K. R., Piper, R., … & McNeil, C. B. (2022). An effectiveness trial of PCIT for children with and without autism spectrum disorder in a private practice setting. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 7(1), 125-141.
  7. Leung, C., Tsang, S., Ng, G. S., & Choi, S. Y. (2017). Efficacy of parent–child interaction therapy with Chinese ADHD children: Randomized controlled trial. Research on Social Work Practice, 27(1), 36-47.
  8. Lieneman, C. C., Brabson, L. A., Highlander, A., Wallace, N. M., & McNeil, C. B. (2017). Parent–child interaction therapy: Current perspectives. Psychology research and behavior management, 239 256.
  9. Lieneman, C. C., Quetsch, L. B., Theodorou, L. L., Newton, K. A., & McNeil, C. B. (2019). Reconceptualizing attrition in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy: “dropouts” demonstrate impressive improvements. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 12, 543–555.
  10. Lieneman, C. C., Quetsch, L. B., Theodorou, L. L., Newton, K. A., & McNeil, C. B. (2019). Reconceptualizing attrition in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy: “dropouts” demonstrate impressive improvements. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 12, 543–555.
  11. Masse, J. J., McNeil, C. B., Wagner, S., & Quetsch, L. B. (2016). Examining the efficacy of parent–child interaction therapy with children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(8), 2508–2525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0424-7
  12. McNeil, C. B., Quetsch, L. B., & Anderson, C. M. (Eds.). (2019). Handbook of parent-child interaction therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Springer.
  13. Parladé, M. V., Weinstein, A., Garcia, D., Rowley, A. M., Ginn, N. C., & Jent, J. F. (2020). Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder and a matched case-control sample. Autism, 24(1), 160-176.
  14. Scudder, A., Wong, C., Ober, N., Hoffman, M., Toscolani, J., & Handen, B. L. (2019). Parent–child Interaction therapy (PCIT) in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 41(4), 201-220.
  15. Solomon M, Ono M, Timmer S, Goodlin-Jones B. The effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy for families of children on the autism spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Oct;38(9):1767-76. doi: 10.1007/s10803-008-0567-5. Epub 2008 Apr 10. PMID: 18401693; PMCID: PMC5519301.
  16. van der Veen-Mulders, L., van den Hoofdakker, B. J., Nauta, M. H., Emmelkamp, P., & Hoekstra, P. J. (2018). Methylphenidate has superior efficacy over parent–child interaction therapy for preschool children with disruptive behaviors. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 28(1), 66-73.
  17. Vetter, J. A. (2018). Parent-child interaction therapy for autism spectrum and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders: A review of the literature. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 40(3), 204-232.
  18. Wagner, S. M., & McNeil, C. B. (2008). Parent-child interaction therapy for ADHD: A conceptual overview and critical literature review. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 30(3), 231-256.
  19. Zlomke, K. R., Jeter, K., & Murphy, J. (2017). Open-trial pilot of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 39(1), 1–18.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nancy Boyd at (352) 594-4298 or at nancy.boyd@ufl.edu