The families were recruited as part of an ongoing research program and tested at our clinical facilities.  Inclusion criteria were based on children characteristics as follows:  between 3 and 13 years of age; clinical diagnosis of ASD based on the DSM-5 criteria from a licensed clinical child neuropsychiatrist; DSM-5 severity scores from mild (level 1) to moderate (level 2) in both social communication and restricted interests and repetitive behaviors domains; a verbal and performance Developmental Quotient: Griffiths Mental Development Scales, Extended Revised: 2 to 8 years (GMDS-ER 2-8 Luiz et al. 2006) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV Wechsler D. 2003) above 70; no hearing, visual, or physical disabilities that would prevent participation in the intervention; not being on psychiatric medication. All children have a previous diagnosis that was further confirmed through the assessment and the consensus of experienced professionals on the research team (i.e., a child neuropsychiatrist and a clinical psychologist).