The purpose of this article is to critically review the literature on parent-implemented interventions aimed at promoting and enhancing the social and communicative behavior of young children with autism spectrum disorders. Twelve parent-implemented intervention studies that were conducted, at least in part, in home environments and were published between 1997 and 2007 were identified. Each of these studies is described as a study within a study. A study-within-a-study design allows researchers to examine (a) the effectiveness of the parents' implementation of the newly learned strategies and (b) the influence of parent-implemented strategies on their children's social and communication skills. All 12 studies reported positive outcomes for parents and children. Yet closer examination of the research methods used in each study indicates considerable variability in intervention and data collection strategies. Carefully and critically evaluating this empirical literature can help researchers, teacher educators, and practitioners as they consider options for interventions and plan future research efforts that will efficiently and effectively result in positive outcomes for young children with social communication delays. Implications for research and practice are addressed following the literature review.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author .
2.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Retrieved June 2, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/index.htm
3.
Charlop-Christy, M.H., & Carpenter, M.J. (2000). Modified incidental teaching sessions: A procedure for parents to increase spontaneous speech in their children with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions , 2, 98-112.
4.
Drew, A., Baird, G., Baron-Cohen, S., Cox, A., Slonims, V., & Wheelwrigt, S. , et al. (2002). A pilot randomized control trial of a parent training intervention for pre-school children with autism. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 11, 266-272.
5.
Dunlap, G., Ester, T., Langhans, S., & Fox, L. (2006). Functional communication training with toddlers in home environments. Journal of Early Intervention, 28, 81-96.
6.
Dunst, C.J., Hamby, D., Trivette, C.M., Raab, M., & Bruder, M.B. (2000). Everyday family and community life and children's naturally occurring learning opportunities. Journal of Early Intervention, 23, 151-164.
7.
Elder, J.H., Valcante, G., Yarandi, H., White, D., & Elder, T.H. (2005). Evaluating in-home training for fathers of children with autism using single-subject experimentation and group analysis methods . Nursing Research, 54, 22-32.
8.
Horner, R., Sprague, J., & Wilcox, B. (1982). General case programming for community activities . In B. Wilcox & G. Bellamy (Eds.), Designing high school programs for severely handicapped students (pp. 61-97). Baltimore: Brookes.
9.
Ingersoll, B., & Gergans, S. (2007). The effect of a parent-implemented imitation intervention on spontaneous imitation skills in young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 28, 163-175.
10.
Jones, E.A., Carr, E.G., & Feeley, K.M. (2006). Multiple effects of joint attention intervention for children with autism. Behavior Modification, 30, 782-834.
11.
Kaiser, A.P., Hancock, T.B., & Nietfeld, J.P. (2000). The effects of parent-implemented enhanced milieu teaching on the social communication of children who have autism. Early Education and Development, 11, 423-446.
12.
Kamps, D., Royer, J., Dugan, E., Kravits, T., Gonzalez-Lopez, A., & Garcia, J., et al. (2002). Peer training to facilitate social interaction for elementary students with autism and their peers. Exceptional Children, 68, 173-187.
13.
Kashinath, S., Woods, J., & Goldstein, H. (2006). Enhancing generalized teaching strategy use in daily routines by parents of children with autism. Journal of Speech, Language, Hearing Research, 49, 466-485.
14.
Kazdin, A.E. (1977). Assessing the clinical or applied importance of behavior change through social validation. Behavior Modification , 1, 427-452.
15.
Koegel, L.K. (2000). Interventions to facilitate communication in autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 383-391.
16.
Kohler, F.W., Anthony, L.J., Steighner, S.A., & Hoyson, M. (2001). Teaching social interaction skills in the integrated preschool: An examination of naturalistic tactics. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 21, 93-103.
17.
Mahoney, G., & Perales, F. (2003). Using relationship-focused intervention to enhance the social-emotional functioning of young children with autism spectrum disorders . Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 23, 77-89.
18.
McCollum, J.A., & Hemmeter, M.L. (1997). Parent-child intervention when children have disabilities. In M. J. Guralnick (Ed.), The effectiveness of early intervention (pp. 549-578). Baltimore: Brookes.
19.
McConnell, S.R. (2002). Interventions to facilitate social interaction for young children with autism: Review of available research and recommendations for educational intervention and future research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32, 351-372.
20.
McWilliam, R.A. (2000). It's only natural . . . to have early intervention in the environments where it's needed. In S. Sandall & M. Ostrosky (Eds.), Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series No. 2: Natural environments and inclusion (pp. 17-26). Denver, CO: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
21.
Moes, D.R., & Frea, W.D. (2002). Contextualized behavioral support in early intervention for children with autism and their families. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32, 519-533.
22.
Rogers, S.J. (2000). Intervention that facilitate socialization in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 399-409.
23.
Rogers, S.J., Hayden, D., Hepburn, S., Charlifue-Smith, R., Hall, T., & Hayes, A. (2006). Teaching young children with autism useful speech: A pilot study of the Denver model and PROMPT intervention. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 1007-1024.
24.
Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M.L., Smith, B., & McLean, M. (2005). DEC recommended practices: A comprehensive guide for practical application in early intervention/early childhood special education. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
25.
Seung, H.K., Ashwell, S., Elder, J.H., & Valcante, G. (2006). Verbal communication outcomes in children with autism after in-home father training. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50, 139-150.
26.
Symon, J.B. (2005). Expanding interventions for children with autism: Parents as trainers. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions , 7, 159-173.
27.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. (2005). 26th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: Author.
28.
Wolf, M.M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 203-214.
