In two studies, we investigated the effectiveness of parent education in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) on parent-created opportunities and spontaneous child initiations in two community-based treatment facilities for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Changes in parental stress and self-efficacy were explored. Participants were 26…

By engaging with family members through video-chat technology, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may access additional opportunities to develop social connections to build familial cohesion and access emotional support. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a behavioral intervention package in teaching social conversation via…

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have problem behaviors that interfere with learning and social interaction. This randomized controlled trial compared treatment with functional communication training (FCT) to "treatment as usual" for young children with ASD (n=38, ages 21-84 months). FCT was conducted by parents with…

This is the first report from a large multiple baseline single-subject design study of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This brief report examines effectiveness of teaching a social cognitive (Social Thinking) approach to six males with Asperger syndrome (AS) or High Functioning Autism (HFA). Data included are restricted to pre-…

This critical review examines 10 controlled studies in which traditional operant behavioral procedures were compared with normalized interventions for teaching language to young children with autism. It concluded that normalized language training was substantially more effective than discrete-trial training and yielded more positive parental…

A study of three children with autism investigated the effectiveness of a Japanese-based method called "Daily Life Therapy" used at the Boston Higashi School in Massachusetts. Over a two-year period, the students made strong gains in behavior and attending to classroom stimuli, but not necessarily in specific skill areas. (CR)

Begins with a review of research on learning style differences associated with autism, then examines instructional strategies of both behavioral and incidental teaching methods. Using an illustrative case study, it describes how visually cued instruction can be applied with autistic children who are visual learners. (DB)

A study examined the effects of a self-management program used to reduce high rates of inappropriate vocalizations (e.g., humming, tongue clucking, perseveration, and echolalic words/phases) in a 12-year-old girl with autism. When self-management was applied to inappropriate vocalizations during leisure, prevocational, and reading tasks, the…

A study examined the effectiveness of properly constructed social stories that had been introduced into the natural environment to target the disruptive behavior of three children (ages 7-15) with autism. A decrease in disruptive behavior was evidenced when the intervention was implemented for all participants. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study evaluated the impact of intensive behavioral treatment by parents in the home setting on the development of 11 young autistic children. Compared to a control group, the children had significantly higher posttreatment IQ scores. Smaller, but statistically significant effects on symptom severity were also found, although experimental…

A study evaluated a 7-month cognitive behavioral intervention for facilitating social-emotional understanding and social interaction of 15 high-functioning children (ages 8-17) with autism. Intervention focused on interpersonal problem solving, affective knowledge, and social interaction. After treatment, children were more likely to initiate…