The importance of supporting parent-child interactions has been noted in the context of prodromal autism, but little consideration has been given to the possible contributing role of parental characteristics, such as psychological distress. This cross-sectional study tested models in which parent-child interaction variables mediated relations…

Mother-child emotion-related conversations, as a practice of parental socialization of emotion, can help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop socio-emotional skills. This study intends to explore relationships between mother-child conversations about emotions and socio-emotional skills of children with ASD by accounting for the…

We examined the communicative intentions behind parents' deictic gesture use with high-risk infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 17), high-risk infants who were not diagnosed with ASD (n = 25), and low-risk infants (n = 28) at 12 months and assessed the extent to which the parental deictic gesture intentions predicted…

Psychology originally defined parent-child conflict in terms of interpersonal relationships, where parent-child conflict is a process of inconsistent attitudes between parents and children that occurs in a family setting. For this end, we aims to investigate the influence of parental awareness on preschoolers' perception of parent-child conflict…

This nine-year longitudinal study addresses the joint contribution of parent-rated negative controlling parenting and child personality on psychosocial outcomes in 141 families of children with autism spectrum disorder (83% boys, mean age Time 1 = 10.1). Latent change modeling revealed substantial variation in within-person change in parenting and…

Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is a method of intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Applications of DTT require prescribed repetitions of instruction. DTT is typically implemented via trained instructors or teachers. However, prior analysis has demonstrated the potential of parent-implemented DTT. Prior research…

We investigated gestures that parents used with 12-, 18-, and 24-month-old infants at high or low risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD; high-risk diagnosed with ASD: n = 21; high-risk classified as no ASD: n = 34; low-risk classified as no ASD: n = 34). We also examined infant responses to parent gestures and assessed the extent to which parent…

Guided by Pals' (in: McStay (ed) Identity and story: Creating self in narrative, American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2006) model of self-making through a narrative lens in the context of adversity, this study investigated not only the difficulties but also the personal growth that parents have experienced while participating in the…

This study investigated the effects of a parent-implemented dialogic reading approach--Reading to Engage Children with Autism in Language and Learning (RECALL)--on the engagement in reading and inference-making ability for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty-one preschoolers (mean age = 5.90 years, SD = 0.69; 26 boys, 5 girls)…

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with social cognitive challenges, and pretend play has been demonstrated as a tool to achieve developmental goals. Following previous report on feasibility and acceptability of a remote, play-based parent-training program (Zyga, Russ, & Dimitropoulos, 2018), we now…

The use of technological devices has proven to be effective and efficient for the delivery of videos aimed at promoting daily living skills (DLS) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder. As technology advances, devices have become more portable and, ultimately, accessible to caregivers. There are relatively few studies that have examined…

Experiences of parenting a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have mostly been studied in relation to hardship. The current study explored personal growth experiences of Israeli parents to children with ASD, specifically in relation to Tedeschi and Calhoun's crisis-related growth model. Nineteen parents were interviewed, and qualitative…

Parents of children with ASD (N = 86; mean age 44.8 months; 67 boys) were randomized to either WHO Caregiver Skills Training (CST) delivered in public health settings in Italy or enhanced treatment-as-usual. Primary blinded outcomes were 3-months post-intervention change scores of autism severity and engagement during caregiver-child interaction.…

This study investigated interactions between parents and 12-month-old infants at high (HR-SIBS; n = 27) and low (LR-SIBS; n = 14) familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The contributions of parental variables, as well as child's autism symptom severity and verbal skills, to the parent interaction style were examined. Parents of HR-SIBS…

This study examined the interplay of mothers' coherent representations of their child (i.e., multidimensional and balanced view); resolution of the child's ASD diagnosis (i.e., acceptance); and emotional availability to the child in the unique cultural context of Arab-Israeli families. Participants were 46 mothers and their 2-8 year old sons.…