Caregiver Skills Training Program for Families of Young Autistic Children Globally: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Autism is an increasingly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition that affects 1 in 100 child globally. However, access to early intervention among these young children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions is scant in many parts of the world. To mitigate this, the World Health Organization and the Autism Speaks developed the Caregiver Skills Training (CST) program to build capacity of local communities, including caregivers of young children with practical skills to support their children’s developmental needs. In this literature review with 13 empirical studies using CST, we examine how CST has been adapted across different cultural and socio-economic environments, addressing questions of program adaptability, outcomes, and implementation challenges. Key findings indicate that CST’s flexible structure supports effective cultural adaptations, such as linguistic modifications, contextualized examples, and locally relevant content. Studies consistently report positive outcomes for both children and caregivers, including improvements in child communication and caregiver confidence. However, implementation barriers such as resource limitations and cultural stigma are significant in certain regions. These insights highlight CST’s potential as a scalable solution in autism care globally, with adaptations crucial for meeting diverse family needs and facilitating wider access to early intervention support.