Adaptive Interventions for Minimally Verbal Children With ASD in the Community
Condition: Autism
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Adaptive Interventions for Minimally Verbal Children with ASD in the Community, seeks support
      to construct an adaptive intervention that utilizes two efficacious interventions (JASP-EMT
      and CORE- DTT) that have shown promise for optimizing the number of unique socially
      communicative and spontaneously spoken words in minimally verbal children with ASD. The study
      utilizes a novel sequential multiple assignment-randomized trial to evaluate and construct an
      optimal adaptive intervention. A total of 192 minimally verbal school aged children with an
      Autism Spectrum Disorder (aged 5 to 8 years of age) will participate across four sites,
      University of California Los Angeles, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University and
      Weill Cornell Medical Center with methodological and statistical support from University of
      Michigan.
    

Detailed description: 
      Interventions:

        -  CORE-DTT is based on behavioral learning theory in which communication and related
           skills are taught through systematic direct instruction. The goal of CORE-DTT is to help
           children be successful in learning communication skills by breaking these skills down
           into small steps, providing systematic direct instruction on each step, and reinforcing
           children (e.g., with praise or access to preferred items) for demonstrating skills.
           Imitation and attention skills are a main focus early in intervention. DTT is the most
           common evidence-based approach for teaching children with ASD, and is often considered
           the closest to a 'standard of practice' for the field. The participants in the proposed
           study will have had at least 1 year of previous intervention, likely in an ABA program
           with DTT as a main strategy. While many children will have been exposed to DTT prior to
           entering this trial, it is important to insure that children (a) receive quality DTT,
           and (b) have exposure to CORE elements related to language learning, specifically joint
           attention and requesting gestures, in order to make the comparison with JASP-EMT.

        -  JASP-EMT is a developmentally anchored behavioral intervention that assumes that
           communication develops from social interactions in which specific social engagement
           strategies, symbolic representations, and early communication forms are modeled and
           naturally reinforced by adult partner responses to the child. The goal of JASP-EMT is to
           increase (a) joint engagement, (b) initiating joint attention gestures, (c) social play
           involving objects and persons, and (d) verbal and nonverbal communication by
           facilitating meaningful social interactions. The social interaction foundation of
           JASP-EMT is critical. Modeling and expansions of communicative behaviors and play are
           used strategically within meaningful social interactions with therapists and caregivers.
           For minimally verbal children with autism, meaningful social interaction is essential
           for establishing the platform on which language input and development will be built.
    

Intervention name(s): JASP-EMT; DTT
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): JASP-EMT is a developmentally anchored behavioral intervention that assumes that communication develops from social interactions in which specific social engagement strategies, symbolic representations, and early communication forms are modeled and naturally reinforced by adult partner responses to the child. The goal of JASP-EMT is to increase (a) joint engagement, (b) initiating joint attention gestures, (c) social play involving objects and persons, and (d) verbal and nonverbal communication by facilitating meaningful social interactions. The social interaction foundation of JASP-EMT is critical. Modeling and expansions of communicative behaviors and play are used strategically within meaningful social interactions with therapists and caregivers.; CORE-DTT is based on behavioral learning theory in which communication and related skills are taught through systematic direct instruction. The goal of CORE-DTT is to help children be successful in learning communication skills by breaking these skills down into small steps, providing systematic direct instruction on each step, and reinforcing children (e.g., with praise or access to preferred items) for demonstrating skills. Imitation and attention skills are a main focus early in intervention. DTT is the most common evidence-based approach for teaching children with ASD, and is often considered the closest to a 'standard of practice' for the field.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Autism; Minimally Verbal; School Age