Social and Communication Outcomes for Young Children With Autism
Condition: Autism Spectrum Disorder
MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this project is to test an intervention program for caregivers and their young
      children with autism that is focused on improving social communication. This study
      specifically targets underserved populations, specifically children from low SES and
      racial/ethnic minority families. Participants will include 40 children (aged 24 months to 60
      months) and their caregivers who will be randomized (as if by flipping a coin) to one of the
      two treatments: Parent education sessions for two hours a week for 12 weeks or parent-child
      intervention sessions with the child for one hour, twice a week for 12 weeks. Young children
      with autism have difficulty with engaging in joint attention with others (e.g. pointing,
      showing. Joint attention skills are important to later development of language. Therefore,
      targeting this problem in young children may result in better language outcomes for these
      children.

      In order to examine the effects of the interventions, all participants will be complete
      cognitive, language, communication and play-based assessments prior to treatment, at the end
      of the first 12 weeks of the intervention, and post-treatment immediately following the
      intervention (approximately 2.5 to 3 hours each).
    

Detailed description: 
      Child/parent dyads will be randomized to one of two intervention conditions: (1) Parent-child
      model, also known as the Caregiver Education Model (CMM):focuses on joint
      attention/engagement intervention using an established evidence based treatment (Kasari et
      al., 2006). It involves individual interventionist meetings with the parents and their
      children in their homes for one hour, twice a week for 12 weeks. In this intervention, the
      parent-child pair meet with the interventionist (as opposed to the group training in the CEM
      condition). Parents will be specifically taught techniques for altering the home environment
      and ways to enhance children's language, social, and play development. Parents will given
      guided practice (input and coaching from the interventionist) as they implement these
      techniques with their child. (2)Parent-education intervention, also known as the Caregiver
      Education Model (CEM): focuses on teaching parents information about autism, behavior
      modification, and community services using a manualized approach (Brereton & Tonge, 2005).
      Parents will receive information on child development each week, and will be able to ask
      questions and discuss the information vis-à-vis their own child. This intervention is
      manualized (Brereton & Tonge 2005). In the CEM condition, parents meet in a group, without
      their children, in a community-based setting to receive the intervention. Intervention in
      both conditions occurs for 2 hours for 12 weeks.
    

Intervention name(s): Joint Attention Intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Intervention in both conditions occurs once a week for 2 hours. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 2 interventions : (1) Caregiver Mediated Model (CMM):focuses on joint attention/engagement and involves individual meetings with the parents and children at their homes. Parents will be specifically taught techniques for altering the home environment and ways to enhance children's language, social, and play development. Parents will given guided practice (input/ coaching from the interventionist) as they implement these techniques with their child. (2) Caregiver Education Model (CEM): focuses on teaching parents information about autism, behavior modification, and community services. Parents will receive information on child development each week, and will be able to ask questions and discuss the information. Parents meet in a group (without their children) in a community-based setting to receive the intervention.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Care Provider)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; treatment; joint attention; communication; language