Predictors of Parent Responsiveness to 1-Year-Olds At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parent responsiveness is critical for child development of cognition, social-communication, and self-regulation. Parents tend to respond more frequently when children at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate stronger social-communication; however, it is unclear how responsiveness is associated with sensory characteristics of children at-risk for ASD. To address this issue, we examined the extent to which child social-communication and sensory reactivity patterns (i.e., hyper- and hypo-reactivity) predicted parent responsiveness to 1-year-olds at-risk for ASD in a community sample of 97 parent-infant pairs. A combination of child social-communication and sensory hypo-reactivity consistently predicted how parents played and talked with their 1-year-old at-risk for ASD. Parents tended to talk less and use more play actions when infants communicated less and demonstrated stronger hypo-reactivity

Developing Feasible and Effective School-Based Interventions for Children With ASD: A Case Study of the Iterative Development Process

Despite an emphasis on identifying evidence-based practices among researchers and using evidence-based practices among professionals in the field of education, there are still problems with uptake and implementation in real-world settings. This lack of diffusion of practices is evident in educational programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One solution is to use an iterative process to develop interventions in which researchers work in collaboration with the end users to test and refine interventions. However, there are very few guidelines for developing feasible and effective interventions through these iterative processes. This article provides a description of the iterative process used to develop the Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) intervention, a supplemental program designed for public preschool classrooms serving students with ASD, and examples of how data from the sequence of iterative design studies shaped the intervention development. The research team offers guidelines for other researchers looking to engage in intervention development using an iterative process in the context of partnerships with end users, including suggestions for planning and executing an intervention development grant

Communicative Gesture Use in Infants With and Without Autism: A Retrospective Home Video Study

Compare gesture use in infants with autism to infants with other developmental disabilities (DD) or typical development (TD)

The First Year Inventory: A longitudinal follow-up of 12-month-olds to 3 years of age

The First Year Inventory (FYI) is a parent-report measure designed to identify 12-month old infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The FYI taps behaviors that indicate risk in the developmental domains of sensory-regulatory and social-communication functioning. This longitudinal study is a follow-up of 699 children at 3 years of age from a community sample whose parents completed the FYI when their children were 12 months old. Parents of all 699 children completed the Social Responsiveness Scale – Preschool version (SRS-P) and the Developmental Concerns Questionnaire (DCQ) to determine age 3 developmental outcomes. In addition, children deemed at-risk for ASD based on liberal cut points on the FYI, SRS-P, and/or DCQ were invited for in-person diagnostic evaluations. We found 9 children who had a confirmed diagnosis of ASD from the sample of 699. ROC analyses determined that a two-domain cutoff score yielded optimal classification of children: 31% of those meeting algorithm cut-offs had ASD and 85% had a developmental disability or concern by age three. These results suggest that the FYI is a promising tool for identifying 12-month old infants who are at risk for an eventual diagnosis of ASD

Parent coaching behaviors used within an Adaptive Responsive Teaching intervention

The coaching service delivery model is often implemented within parent mediated interventions for infants at an elevated likelihood of autism spectrum disorder. However, less is known about the exact coaching behaviors used within intervention sessions. Therefore, we examined the coaching behaviors implemented within the Adaptive Responsive Teaching intervention. We also investigated the associations between coaching behaviors and parent education levels and the associations between the coaching behaviors and a parent outcome, i.e., parent responsiveness. Results indicated that the interventionists demonstrated joint interaction and child-focused behaviors the most frequently. The interventionists much less frequently demonstrated guided practice, caregiver practice, and problem solving behaviors. The use of joint interaction behaviors was positively associated with parent education levels, whereas, the use of child-focused behaviors was negatively associated with parent education level. More information sharing by the interventionists predicted a greater change in parent responsiveness, whereas more child-focused behaviors predicted less change in parent responsiveness

Correlation between communicative functions of mothers and preschoolers of different racial and income groups

While language differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) have been identified, the domain of pragmatics, specifically, communicative functions (CF) has been understudied. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate mothers’ CF use with African American, European American, and Latino American boys and girls of middle and low SES. CFs were coded from each dyads’ (N=95) learning and play interaction from the National Center for Early Development and Learning’s (NCEDL, 2005) study of Family and Social Environments (Aikens, Coleman, & Bryant, 2008). Demographic factors were correlated with talkativeness, and Directing and Mother Directing, Responding, and Projecting were important predictors. Gender predicted child Self-maintaining and Predicting, and limited child demographic predictors suggest that they might not affect CFs as directly as mother CFs. Identification of associations among mother demographics and CFs can enhance comprehension of home communication styles for researchers and clinicians to better understand referral decision-making based on pragmatic indices for diverse preschoolers.This research was supported in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Foundation for Child Development

Cascading effects of attention disengagement and sensory seeking on social symptoms in a community sample of infants at-risk for a future diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder

Recent work suggests sensory seeking predicts later social symptomatology through reduced social orienting in infants who are at high-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on their status as younger siblings of children diagnosed with ASD. We drew on extant longitudinal data from a community sample of at-risk infants who were identified at 12 months using the First Year Inventory, and followed to 3–5 years. We replicate findings of Damiano et al. (in this issue) that a) high-risk infants who go on to be diagnosed with ASD show heightened sensory seeking in the second year of life relative to those who do not receive a diagnosis, and b) increased sensory seeking indirectly relates to later social symptomatology via reduced social orienting. We extend previous findings to show that sensory seeking has more clinical utility later in the second year of life (20–24 months) than earlier (13–15 months). Further, this study suggests that diminished attention disengagement at 12–15 months may precede and predict increased sensory seeking at 20–24 months. Findings add support for the notion that sensory features produce cascading effects on social development in infants at risk for ASD, and suggest that reduced attention disengagement early in life may set off this cascade. Keywords: Sensory features, Autism, Infants, Social, Longitudinal, Attention, Risk marker

A Retrospective Video Analysis of Canonical Babbling and Volubility in Infants with Fragile X Syndrome at 9–12 Months of Age

An infant’s vocal capacity develops significantly during the first year of life. Research suggests early measures of pre-speech development, such as canonical babbling and volubility, can differentiate typical versus disordered development. This study offers a new contribution by comparing early vocal development in 10 infants with Fragile X syndrome and 14 with typical development. Results suggest infants with Fragile X syndrome produce fewer syllables and have significantly lower canonical babbling ratios compared to infants who are typically developing. Furthermore, the particular measures of babbling were strong predictors of group membership, adding evidence regarding the possible utility of these markers in early identification

Pediatric Healthcare Professionals’ Views on Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening at 12–18 Months

This study explored North Carolina pediatric healthcare professional’s (PHP) perceptions of screening 12–18 month old infants for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Eight focus groups (66 PHPs) were conducted across practice settings. The purpose was to explore PHP’s perspectives to: inform development of ASD screening tools and ultimately impact their use in PHP settings. PHPs reported concerns, barriers, and the need for research to support early ASD screening. Additionally, they expressed the need for: (a) clear “red flags” of ASD for 12–18 month olds; (b) socioculturally sensitive and effective screening tools; (c) effective early interventions; (d) systems to handle potential increases in referrals; and (e) continuing education. PHPs also demonstrated preferences about screening tool characteristics and processes for enhancing screening efforts

Preliminary Efficacy of Adapted Responsive Teaching for Infants at Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Community Sample

This study examined the (a) feasibility of enrolling 12-month-olds at risk of ASD from a community sample into a randomized controlled trial, (b) subsequent utilization of community services, and (c) potential of a novel parent-mediated intervention to improve outcomes. The First Year Inventory was used to screen and recruit 12-month-old infants at risk of ASD to compare the effects of 6–9 months of Adapted Responsive Teaching (ART) versus referral to early intervention and monitoring (REIM). Eighteen families were followed for ~20 months. Assessments were conducted before randomization, after treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. Utilization of community services was highest for the REIM group. ART significantly outperformed REIM on parent-reported and observed measures of child receptive language with good linear model fit. Multiphase growth models had better fit for more variables, showing the greatest effects in the active treatment phase, where ART outperformed REIM on parental interactive style (less directive), child sensory responsiveness (less hyporesponsive), and adaptive behavior (increased communication and socialization). This study demonstrates the promise of a parent-mediated intervention for improving developmental outcomes for infants at risk of ASD in a community sample and highlights the utility of earlier identification for access to community services earlier than standard practice