Purpose: The current study examined the predictive role of gestures and gesture-speech combinations on later spoken language outcomes in minimally verbal (MV) autistic children enrolled in a blended naturalistic developmental/behavioral intervention (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation [JASPER] + Enhanced Milieu Teaching…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have communication deficits that lead to difficulties in expressing their needs and establishing relationships with others. Parent-mediated intervention is a method to improve communication skills of children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of parent-mediated multimodal…

Despite showing effects in well-controlled studies, the extent to which early intensive behavioral intervention (EBI) produces positive changes in community-based settings remains uncertain. Thus, our study examined changes in autistic symptoms and adaptive functioning in 233 children with autism receiving EBI in a community setting. The results…

Background: Information is available about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment time, but nothing is known about what predicts treatment prognosis. Aims: To investigate the predictors of treatment dropout and treatment outcome for children who were treated for early stuttering with the Lidcombe Program (N = 277). Methods & Procedures: A…

Teacher-child interactions provide an important context for children's development and learning. The study explored how teacher- and classroom-level factors were associated with quality of teacher-child interactions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We also investigated associations between teacher-child interactions and child outcomes.…

Contemporary parent-implemented early intervention programs for children with autism spectrum disorder usually incorporate a range of techniques with different theoretical underpinnings. While research suggests that parents often learn to implement interventions with an acceptable degree of overall fidelity, there is limited research into parent…

Many interventions are characterized by repeated observations on the same individuals (e.g., baseline, mid-intervention, two to three post-intervention observations), which offer the opportunity to consider differences in how individuals vary over time. Effective interventions may not be limited to changing means, but instead may also include…

Introduction: Children with developmental delays (DD), particularly autism spectrum disorders (ASD), are at high risk for increased levels of behavior problems and developing internalizing problems. While previous literature has highlighted the impact of parental stress on the development of behavioral problems broadly in children with DD,…

Background: Pharmacotherapy is considered an evidenced-based treatment for anxious youth. There is a need to better understand the relation between medication adherence and child outcomes. Objective: This study prospectively examined: (1) baseline predictors of adherence and (2) the relation between medication adherence and clinical outcomes in…

Chronic poverty is a worldwide epidemic, and communities must take a proactive approach to assist the poor by extending a hand to lift them up and not hold them down. Tribulations are part of life, but are some afflictions self-imposed, escalated, or reinforced by living in deprived contextual environments. Poverty-stricken people experience more…

Interactions with teachers and peers are critical for children's social, behavioral, and academic development in the classroom context. However, these two types of interpersonal interactions in the classroom are usually pursued via separate lines of inquiries. The current study bridges these two areas of research to examine the way in which…

Health coverage of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorder is expanding. Yet there is no longitudinal research on patterns of or inequities in utilization of EIBI. We integrated state administrative records with Medicaid and Census data for children enrolled in an EIBI Medicaid waiver (N = 730) to…

This study used a concurrent multiple-probe across three mother-child dyads with a non-concurrent addition of a fourth mother-child dyad to assess the extent to which behavior specialists' use of coaching and performance feedback via telehealth effects the degree to which the parent implements the multi-component behavior support plan (BSP)…

This article explicitly addresses the correlation between communication and behavior, and describes how to provide intervention addressing these two overlapping domains using an intervention called functional communication training (FCT; E. G. Carr & Durand, 1985) in individuals with ASD. A step-by-step process is outlined with supporting…

The main purpose of this study was to review pivotal response training and examine the efficacy of pivotal response training for children with autism spectrum disorder. The other purposes of study were to (a) examine the characteristics of participants and components of the intervention in which pivotal response training was used; (b) determine…