Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions for Autistic Children

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Interventions to support autistic children are often described as developmental, behavioral, or naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions; however, developmental approaches have not been well defined as a class of therapeutic intervention. We present the position of an interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians regarding the common features of developmental interventions. The term Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions (DRBI) is proposed as a useful way to represent this classification of interventions. The defining features of DRBI are: (a) a developmental framework based on a child’s innate motivation for social engagement and learning, and (b) a primary focus on supporting parent-child and other social interactions and relationships. Four strategies consistently used in DRBI are: Social Play, Sensitive Responding, Following the Child’s Lead, and Presenting Challenges. We also describe the features that differentiate DRBI from Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI). The proposed description of DRBI may aid clinical decision-making, policy formation and research design.