Child-Directed Interaction Training for Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of a Visual Handout

Abstract

Involving parents in implementing interventions for children with ASD plays a significant role in developing their social skills. However, parents of children with ASD may have characteristics of broader autism phenotype (BAP) including aloofness, rigidity, and pragmatic language deficits. These characteristics can make it difficult for parents to have effective interactions with their children. This paper introduces a handout created specifically for parents with BAP traits. We describe the effects of this visual aid on one mother’s progress in learning the skills of the child-directed interaction, which is the first phase of parent-child interaction therapy and is called child-directed interaction training (CDIT) when used as a stand-alone parent training program for young children. We present a case study of one mother with BAP traits who had difficulty learning and implementing the CDIT skills and illustrate how the handout affected her learning of these skills during training sessions. Findings suggest that in parent-mediated intervention for children with ASD, therapists should consider the possibility of BAP and the use of visual aids such as the handout to improve parent understanding and use of the CDIT skills.