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Background: Systematic reviews have shown attachment-based parenting programs to lead to improvements in parenting sensitivity and infant attachment, but none have focused specifically on the impact of attachment-based parenting programs on externalizing symptoms in young children. Objective: The objective of this study was to review published randomized controlled trial evidence regarding the impact of attachment-based early parenting interventions on externalizing behaviors in children aged 1-5 years. Methods: A systematic search of published literature available through to May 2020 was conducted. Seven published papers reporting results from trials testing six attachment-based parenting interventions were identified. Results: Three of the seven programs were shown to be associated with statistically significant improvements in child externalizing behavior (Helping Encourage Affect Regulation, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy--Toddlers). For one program (Child-Parent Psychotherapy), there was also evidence in one study that improvements in child externalizing behaviors were sustained at 6-month follow-up. A number of methodological limitations were present among the studies identified, most commonly reliance on parent-report measures of externalizing behavior. Conclusions: Taken together, results indicate that parenting interventions designed to promote secure parent-child attachment relationships may be effective in reducing externalizing behaviors in children aged 1-5 years of age. Further research is required to test programs in different populations and with longer follow-up times.

There is strong evidence to show links between attachment security in young children and a range of positive outcomes in social, emotional, and psychological domains. The aims of this review were to provide a narrative summary of (1) the attachment-based interventions currently available for caregivers of toddlers aged 12–24 months and for which research about the impact of the program on child attachment patterns has been reported, and (2) the empirical effectiveness of these interventions at improving attachment security. A number of interventions were shown to be associated with shifts to secure and/or organized attachment, with Child-Parent Psychotherapy and Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up emerging as the interventions with the strongest evidence bases. For most interventions, evidence came from just a single research study, and in some cases from studies that were not randomized controlled trials. In order for clinicians to make informed decisions about the interventions they use with parents and toddlers, it is vital that further research be conducted to test the efficacy of all available attachment-based parenting programs using randomized controlled trial designs, in a range of settings and clinical and cultural groups, and with longitudinal follow-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up to 27% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience clinically significant externalizing behavior. Child emotional dysregulation is thought to be one of the main reasons for the manifestation of externalizing behaviors during toddlerhood and has also been associated with insecure and disorganized parent-child attachment relationships. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers (PCIT-T) is an attachment and behavioral based parent training program targeted at children aged 12 to 24 months with externalizing behavior. This study assessed the effectiveness of PCIT-T in reducing child externalizing behavior as well as improving child emotional regulation and the parent-child attachment relationship in a child with moderate-to-severe ASD traits, low intellectual and adaptive functioning, externalizing behaviors within the clinical range, and a disorganized/insecure mother-child attachment relationship. The intervention occurred over a 12-week period and focused on improving positive parenting skills, parent emotional regulation, and child emotional regulation. Treatment progress was tracked using the Child Behavior Checklist Externalizing Behavior subscale, the Deverux Early Childhood Assessment for Toddlers Attachment/Relationship and Self-Regulation subscales, the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, version 4, and the Strange Situation Procedure. Study results provide preliminary support for the use of PCIT-T in reducing externalizing behavior, improving the parent-child attachment relationship and child emotional regulation. These results indicate that PCIT-T can be beneficial for children with ASD traits, however, further research with a larger sample size is needed to strength these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parent–child interaction therapy with toddlers (PCIT‐T) is an adaptation of standard PCIT, developed to treat young children (12–24 months) with disruptive behaviours. The aim of this study was to gather preliminary qualitative data to gauge parental perceptions about the program. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with five parents who received the first phase of the program, 'child directed interaction‐Toddler' (CDI‐T) at a community based child behaviour treatment clinic. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Participants were initially motivated to seek treatment because of concerns about and difficulties managing child behaviour. All participants reported a range of positive gains as a result of CDI‐T including new parenting strategies, improved parental confidence and improved parent–child relationship quality. Live coaching from behind the one‐way mirror, the relationship with the therapist and the home‐based practice of skills between sessions were identified as important treatment components. Many participants spoke, however, about the difficulties they experienced with continuing to implement the home practice after program completion. Conclusions: Results suggest that CDI‐T is perceived positively by consumers, and highlight a number of key program components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Young children with ASD have poorer ER abilities than typically developing children. • Young children with ASD rely more on others to regulate their emotions. • ASD symptom severity and low executive functioning are associated with poorer ER abilities. • Caregivers of children with- and without- ASD are comparable on sensitivity, responsiveness and limit setting. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has significant negative impacts on a child's development as well as their family's social, emotional, and economic wellbeing. In an effort to better understand the aeitology of ASD and therefore provide interventions for children on the autism spectrum, various factors have been taken into consideration, one of which is emotion regulation (ER) ability. This paper sought to synthesize the current research on ER in children, specifically young children (aged 12–72 months), with ASD to better understand the association between ASD and ER in young children. Research databases and reference lists of relevant papers were searched systematically for articles on ASD and ER in young children. Fifteen articles were identified that reported on ER in children with ASD and had participants that fell within the 12–72 month age range. These articles were systematically reviewed. Children with ASD were found to have a different repertoire of ER strategies and rely more on others to regulate their emotions than their typically developing peers; ASD symptom severity and executive functioning ability were associated with ER abilities; and treatments incorporating both parents and children were found to improve ER abilities in children. Research on ER in young children with ASD is in its infancy with many of the studies reviewed being preliminary in nature. Furthermore, the majority of studies include participants that encompass a broad age range, making it difficult to distinguish the nature and occurrence of ER in toddlers and preschoolers with ASD from ER in older children and adolescence with ASD. Nonetheless, the review provides some insight into the nature of ER in young children with ASD and highlights important directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]