Parent-Implemented Early Social Communication Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Numerous developmental difficulties differentiate children with autism from typically developing children, including delays in social communication skills. In this study, we used a multiple baseline design across three behaviors (i.e., imitation, behavioral requests, and response to joint attention) for two parent–child dyads to investigate the effectiveness of a parent-implemented social communication intervention. Parents received training on least to most prompting, and coaching while practicing with their child until they reached the intervention fidelity criterion. Results indicated increased parent fidelity for one parent in two strategies and in all strategies for one parent. Environmental arrangement training was not provided for one parent due to increases in baseline. In addition, all child behaviors increased. The results and implications for future research and practice are discussed.