In particular , there is little evidence that the identified tools would be good at detecting change in intervention studies .
The obvious gaps in available outcome measurement include well-being and participation outcomes for children , and family quality -of-life outcomes , domains particularly valued by our informants ( young people with ASD and parents ) .
This is the first systematic review of the quality and appropriateness of tools design ed to monitor progress and outcomes of young children with ASD .
BACKGROUND The needs of children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) are complex and this is reflected in the number and diversity of outcomes assessed and measurement tools used to collect evidence about children 's progress .
Relevant outcomes include improvement in core ASD impairments , such as communication , social awareness , sensory sensitivities and repetitiveness ; skills such as social functioning and play ; participation outcomes such as social inclusion ; and parent and family impact .
OBJECTIVES To examine the measurement properties of tools used to measure progress and outcomes in children with ASD up to the age of 6 years .
To identify outcome areas regarded as important by people with ASD and parents .
A play and joint attention intervention for teachers of young children with autism: A randomized controlled pilot study
The aim of this study was to pilot test a classroom-based intervention focused on facilitating play and joint attention for young children with autism in self-contained special education classrooms . Thirty-three children with autism between the ages of 3 and 6 years participated in the study with their classroom teachers ( n = 14 ) . The 14 preschool special education teachers were r and omly assigned to one of three groups : ( 1 ) symbolic play then joint attention intervention , ( 2 ) joint attention then symbolic intervention , and ( 3 ) wait-list control period then further r and omized to either group 1 or group 2 . In the intervention , teachers participated in eight weekly individualized 1-h sessions with a research er that emphasized embedding strategies targeting symbolic play and joint attention into their everyday classroom routines and activities . The main child outcome variables of interest were collected through direct classroom observations . Findings indicate that teachers can implement an intervention to significantly improve joint engagement of young children with autism in their classrooms . Furthermore , multilevel analyses showed significant increases in joint attention and symbolic play skills . Thus , these pilot data emphasize the need for further research and implementation of classroom-based interventions targeting play and joint attention skills for young children with autism
In particular , there is little evidence that the identified tools would be good at detecting change in intervention studies .
The obvious gaps in available outcome measurement include well-being and participation outcomes for children , and family quality -of-life outcomes , domains particularly valued by our informants ( young people with ASD and parents ) .
This is the first systematic review of the quality and appropriateness of tools design ed to monitor progress and outcomes of young children with ASD .
BACKGROUND The needs of children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) are complex and this is reflected in the number and diversity of outcomes assessed and measurement tools used to collect evidence about children 's progress .
Relevant outcomes include improvement in core ASD impairments , such as communication , social awareness , sensory sensitivities and repetitiveness ; skills such as social functioning and play ; participation outcomes such as social inclusion ; and parent and family impact .
OBJECTIVES To examine the measurement properties of tools used to measure progress and outcomes in children with ASD up to the age of 6 years .
To identify outcome areas regarded as important by people with ASD and parents .