Parent Language Intervention for Autism

High dosage of early intervention is critical to language skill development in young children
with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and including parents is a cost-effective approach to
maximize intervention dosage. However, parent-mediated interventions have inconsistent
effects on parent and child outcomes. This variability is likely because parents do not have
the same training as clinicians and little effort has been spent examining parent
characteristics that may influence their ability to implement different types of intervention
strategies. Given the known cognitive, personality and language features present among many
parents of children with ASD, examining the relationship between learning styles in parents
and their implementation of different parent-mediated intervention strategies is an important
first step in identifying potential sources of variability in parent-mediated intervention
outcomes. The objective of the proposed study is to examine how parent learning style
influences parent use of language intervention strategies and subsequent child language
skills. The central hypothesis is that the parent learning style will be associated with: (a)
differential use of language intervention strategies and (b) child language skills. The
specific aims include determining the extent to which: (a) parent learning style and type of
parent-mediated intervention are associated with mother use of language intervention
strategies and subsequent child language skills, (b) parent learning style moderates the
relationship between intervention type and mother use of language intervention strategies,
and (c) parent learning style is associated with their use of language intervention
strategies and their children's language skills. The proposed study will enroll 108 children
with ASD between 24 and 36 months of age and their mothers. Mother-child dyads will be
randomly assigned to one of two parent-mediated intervention strategies that are contrasted
in their theoretical approach (responsive-developmental, directive-behavioral). Mother-child
dyads will be assessed before randomization (pre-test), after intervention (post-test) and 3
months after the end of intervention to monitor maintenance. Children in both groups will
receive 8 weekly intervention sessions at home using the same experimental procedures. The
proposed research is significant because it will be the first examination of the impact of
parent learning style on both parent and child outcomes of two different parent-mediated
intervention strategies (directive, responsive). Understanding the effects of parent learning
style on parent use of intervention strategies and subsequent child language skills is a key
step in customizing parent-mediated interventions based on parent characteristics. The
long-term positive effect of the proposed research is to improve language outcomes of
interventions for children with autism by tailoring parent-mediated interventions that
capitalize on parental strengths.

Inclusion Criteria:

Child inclusion criteria include:

- diagnosis of ASD based on ADOS

- chronological age of less than 48 months

- a parent who is willing to learn intervention strategies

- English as the primary language spoken in the home

Parent Inclusion Criteria Include:

- Mother

Exclusion Criteria:

- Children or parents with additional impairments (e.g., blindness, deafness, genetic
syndromes) will be excluded from the study.

- Fathers or caregivers other than the child's Mother will be excluded from the study.