A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Social Tools And Rules for Teens (START) Program: An Immersive Socialization Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Social involvement of children with autism spectrum disorders in elementary school classrooms. Improvement in Social Competence Using a Randomized Trial of a Theatre Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Use of Social Stories to Improve Self-Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Improving autism perinatal risk factors: A systematic review. Physical educators' beliefs and self-reported behaviors toward including students with autism spectrum disorder. Child characteristics associated with outcome for children with autism in a school-based behavioral intervention A Comprehensive Peer Network Intervention to Improve Social Communication of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Trial in Kindergarten and First Grade The role of treatment fidelity on outcomes during a randomized field trial of an autism intervention Autism Spectrum Conditions - Enhancing Nurture and Development (ASCEND): An evaluation of intervention support groups for parents Logging On: Evaluating an Online Support Group for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders An Evaluation of a Mobile Application Designed to Teach Receptive Language Skills to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder A controlled trial of a training course for parents of children with suspected autism spectrum disorder. Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Intervention for Toddlers With Autism: The Early Start Denver Model Avatar Assistant: Improving Social Skills in Students with an ASD Through a Computer-Based Intervention Early identification and intervention in autism spectrum disorders: Some progress but not as much as we hoped Evaluation of a New Computer Intervention to Teach People with Autism or Asperger Syndrome to Recognize and Predict Emotions in Others
Adolescents with ASD face numerous personal and context ual barriers that impede the development of social motivation and core competencies , warranting the need for targeted intervention . A r and omized controlled trial was conducted with 40 adolescents to evaluate the merits of a multi-component socialization intervention that places emphasis on experiential learning . This investigation evaluated the impact of the 20-week START program on the social functioning of adolescents with ASD . Significant Group × Time differences between START and waitlist control groups were found across multiple measures . Secondary analyses of the entire program cohort also yielded significant improvement trends across all measures . These findings may be an important step in identifying optimal strategies to target the complex factors limiting optimal social development in ASD BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) are increasingly included in general education classrooms in an effort to improve their social involvement . METHODS Seventy-nine children with ASD and 79 r and omly selected , gender-matched peers ( 88.6 % male ) in 75 early ( K-1 ) , middle ( 2nd-3rd ) , and late ( 4th-5th ) elementary classrooms across 30 schools completed social network surveys  examining each child 's reciprocal friendships , peer rejection , acceptance , and social involvement . RESULTS Across grade levels , peers less frequently reciprocated friendships with children with ASD than students in the matched sample . While children with ASD were not more likely to be rejected by peers , they were less accepted and had fewer reciprocal friendships than matched peers at each grade level . Although 48.1 % of children with ASD were involved in the social networks of their classrooms , children with ASD were more likely to be isolated or peripheral to social relationships within the classroom across all grade levels , and this difference is even more dramatic in later elementary grade s. CONCLUSIONS In inclusive classrooms , children with ASD are only involved in peers ' social relationships about half of the time , and appear to be even less connected with increasing grade level . Promoting children with ASD 's skills in popular activities to share with peers in early childhood may be a key preventive intervention to protect social relationships in late elementary school grade The efficacy of a peer-mediated , theatre-based intervention on social competence  in participants with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) was tested . Thirty 8-to-14 year-olds with ASD were r and omly assigned to the treatment ( n = 17 ) or a wait-list control ( n = 13 ) group . Immediately after treatment , group effects were seen on social ability , ( d = .77 ) , communication symptoms ( d = −.86 ) , group play with toys in the company of peers ( d = .77 ) , immediate memory of faces as measured by neuropsychological ( d = .75 ) and ERP methods ( d = .93 ) , delayed memory for faces ( d = .98 ) , and theory of mind ( d = .99 ) . At the 2 month follow-up period , group effects were detected on communication symptoms ( d = .82 ) . The results of this pilot clinical trial provide initial support for the efficacy of the theatre-based intervention ABSTRACT A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of Social Stories to help preschool-aged children with characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders ( ASD ) increase their engagement in functional behaviors and use sensory integrative-based strategies to promote self-regulation . Three children , 3–5 years old , from a self-contained preschool classroom were selected to participate in the study . The intervention package included reading individualized Social Stories that discussed desired behaviors and self-regulation strategies . The research ers measured the percentage of intervals in which participants engaged in desired behaviors . The frequency of desired behaviors increased for all participants . The use of self-regulation strategies varied across participants . These findings suggest that the intervention was successful in increasing desired behaviors of the three children . Further research is recommended on the effectiveness of embedding sensory integrative strategies into Social Stories . Practitioners may consider the use of Social Stories as a tool to increase independence and encourage self-regulated behaviors in children with characteristics of ASD BACKGROUND Current underst and ing of the etiology of autism is based on the interaction of multiple genes with each other and with environmental factors , leading to a neurodevelopmental process that results in the expression of autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) in the child . This suggests that it might be possible to strengthen resilience to environmental stressors during the perinatal period to improve outcomes and possibly prevent the development of ASD . METHODS We search ed the MEDLINE data base for multiple perinatal factors associated with the development of ASD published between January 1 , 2005 and July 1 , 2018 . The search terms used were " autism " crossed with either " perinatal , " " prenatal , " " gestational , " or " pregnancy , " and crossed again with each perinatal risk factor highlighted in this review including topics on parental health , infections , medications , and environmental stressors . We then search ed interventions that may improve neurodevelopmental outcome before and during pregnancy , including supplements , breastfeeding , and postpartum stress reduction . We identified recent or unique metanalyses and systematic review s of the identified focus and on r and omized controlled trials and summarized these using the most recent and comprehensive review s. RESULTS Folate , omega-3 , vitamin D3 , environmental toxin avoidance , correcting deficiencies , immune boosting , and prolonged breast feeding are all reported to be linked to the possible reduction of adverse pregnancy outcomes including ASD . CONCLUSIONS Studies of individual components for improving pregnancy outcomes and several uncontrolled preconception to infancy medical practice s suggest that multiple interventions might improve the outcomes of pregnancies where there is risk for developing ASD With an increase in the presence of students with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) in the general physical education ( GPE ) classroom , underst and ing the current state of GPE teachers ' beliefs and behaviors for including these students is warranted . The current study aim ed to examine the beliefs and self-reported behaviors of GPE teachers ' inclusion of students with ASD . In addition , the study examined potential factors affecting their inclusion behaviors . Using a national stratified r and om sample , participants were 142 current GPE teachers who su bmi tted surveys anonymously online . Results from a regression analysis indicate that teachers ' experience , graduate coursework in adapted physical education ( APE ) , and perceptions of strength in undergraduate training in APE significantly predicted their self-reported behavior for including students with ASD . Although the participant response rate is considerably low , this study provides some support toward the importance of teacher education programs for inclusion training This study examined the extent to which clinical and demographic characteristics predicted outcome for children with autism spectrum disorder . Participants included 152 students with autism spectrum disorder in 53 kindergarten-through-second- grade autism support classrooms in a large urban public school district . Associations between child characteristics ( including age , language ability , autism severity , social skills , adaptive behavior , co-occurring psychological symptoms , and restrictive and repetitive behavior ) and outcome , as measured by changes in cognitive ability following one academic year of an intervention st and ardized across the sample were evaluated using linear regression with r and om effects for classroom . While several scales and subscales had statistically significant bivariate associations with outcome , in adjusted analysis , only age and the presence of symptoms associated with social anxiety , such as social avoidance and social fearfulness , as measured through the Child Symptom Inventory-4 , were associated with differences in outcome . The findings regarding the role of social anxiety are new and have important implication s for treatment . Disentangling the construct of social anxiety to differentiate between social fearfulness and social motivation has important implication s for shifting the focus of early treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder The purpose of this r and omized control group study was to examine the effects of a peer network intervention that included peer mediation and direct instruction for Kindergarten and First- grade children with autism spectrum disorders . Trained school staff members provided direct instruction for 56 children in the intervention group , and 39 children participated in a comparison group . Results showed children in the intervention group displayed significantly more initiations to peers than did the comparison group during non-treatment social probes and generalization probes . Treatment session data showed significant growth for total communications over baseline levels . Children in treatment also showed more growth in language and adaptive communication . Finally , teachers ’ ratings of prosocial skills revealed significantly greater improvements for the intervention group This r and omized field trial comparing Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research and Structured Teaching enrolled educators in 33 kindergarten-through-second- grade autism support classrooms and 119 students , aged 5–8 years in the School District of Philadelphia . Students were assessed at the beginning and end of the academic year using the Differential Ability Scales . Program fidelity was measured through video coding and use of a checklist . Outcomes were assessed using linear regression with r and om effects for classroom and student . Average fidelity was 57 % in Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research classrooms and 48 % in Structured Teaching classrooms . There was a 9.2-point ( st and ard deviation = 9.6 ) increase in Differential Ability Scales score over the 8-month study period , but no main effect of program . There was a significant interaction between fidelity and group . In classrooms with either low or high program fidelity , students in Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research experienced a greater gain in Differential Ability Scales score than students in Structured Teaching ( 11.2 vs 5.5 points and 11.3 vs 8.9 points , respectively ) . In classrooms with moderate fidelity , students in Structured Teaching  experienced a greater gain than  students in Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research  ( 10.1 vs 4.4 points ) . The results suggest significant variability in implementation of evidence -based practice s , even with supports , and also suggest the need to address challenging issues related to implementation measurement in community setting There is relatively little evidence about the effectiveness of parent-training programmes for children with autism spectrum conditions ( ASCs ) . Here we evaluate a programme developed to fill a gap in the provision of parent interventions after EarlyBird , which is only available for parents of pre-school ASC children . This programme ( ASCEND ) has now been running for five years . Question naires were used to evaluate seven consecutive 11-session programmes from 2004 to 2007 , involving 79 parents representing 58 children . We measured satisfaction ratings in all seven groups ; the latter five groups ( 59 parents representing 44 children ) were given  Developmental Behaviour Checklists ( DBCs )  and  parental knowledge question naires pre- and post-course . Eighty-eight per cent of respondents found the course useful or very useful while parental knowledge and skills improved significantly across a range of learning outcomes . DBC scores showed significant changes post-course for total problem behaviours and disruptive/antisocial behaviours , with a trend towards reductions in anxiety as reported by parents . Changes in behaviour scores moderately correlated with specific learning items relating to improved skills in behaviour management . This preliminary evaluation suggests that the course produces positive outcomes in terms of parent satisfaction , parent learning and perceived changes in child behaviour , although further independent analysis is required in the form of a r and omized controlled trial Twenty mothers participated in an online support group for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders . Twenty-five unrelated parents participated in a no-treatment control group . The participants completed online question naires prior to and following the 4-month support group , to evaluate changes in mood , anxiety , parenting stress , and positive perceptions . No significant differences between the groups or across time were found . However , parents who participated in the group reported being satisfied with the support they received and finding the group helpful . Issues related to participant recruitment and retention are discussed . Further research is required to investigate the efficacy of online support groups for parents of children with ASD The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile application , Camp Discovery , design ed to teach receptive language skills to children with autism spectrum disorder based on the principles of applied behavior analysis . Participants ( N = 28 ) were r and omly assigned to an immediate-treatment or a delayed-treatment control group . The treatment group made significant gains , p < .001 , M = 58.1 , SE = 7.54 , following 4 weeks of interaction with the application as compared to the control group , M = 8.4 , SE = 2.13 . Secondary analyses revealed significant gains in the control group after using the application and maintenance of acquired skills in the treatment group after application usage was discontinued . Findings suggest that the application effectively teaches the targeted skills OBJECTIVE To evaluate a training course for parents , design ed to help them underst and autism spectrum disorder and to facilitate social communication with their young child . STUDY DESIGN Controlled trial for 51 children aged 24 to 48 months , whose parents received either immediate intervention or delayed access to the course .  Outcome was measured 7 months after recruitment in parents ' use of facilitative strategies , stress , adaptation to the child ; and in children 's vocabulary size , behavior problems , and social communication skills . RESULTS Taking into account scores at recruitment , child 's level of ability , diagnostic grouping , and the interval between assessment s , a significant advantage was found for the intervention group in parents ' observed use of facilitative strategies and in children 's vocabulary size . CONCLUSIONS The training course is well received by parents and has a measurable effect on both parents ' and children 's communication skills OBJECTIVE : To conduct a r and omized , controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of the Early Start Denver Model ( ESDM ) , a comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention , for improving outcomes of toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) . METHODS : Forty-eight children diagnosed with ASD between 18 and 30 months of age were r and omly assigned to 1 of 2 groups : ( 1 ) ESDM intervention , which is based on developmental and applied behavioral analytic principles and delivered by trained therapists and parents for 2 years ; or ( 2 ) referral to community providers for intervention commonly available in the community . RESULTS : Compared with children who received community-intervention , children who received ESDM showed significant improvements in IQ , adaptive behavior , and autism diagnosis . Two years after entering intervention , the ESDM group on average improved 17.6 st and ard score points ( 1 SD : 15 points ) compared with 7.0 points in the comparison group relative to baseline scores . The ESDM group maintained its rate of growth in adaptive behavior compared with a normative sample of typically developing children . In contrast , over the 2-year span , the comparison group showed greater delays in adaptive behavior . Children who received ESDM also were more likely to experience a change in diagnosis from autism to pervasive developmental disorder , not otherwise specified , than the comparison group . CONCLUSIONS : This is the first r and omized , controlled trial to demonstrate the efficacy of a comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention for toddlers with ASD for improving cognitive and adaptive behavior and reducing severity of ASD diagnosis . Results of this study underscore the importance of early detection of and intervention in autism This study assessed the efficacy of FaceSay , a computer-based social skills training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders ( ASD ) . This r and omized controlled study ( N = 49 ) indicates that providing children with low-functioning autism ( LFA ) and high functioning autism ( HFA ) opportunities to practice attending to eye gaze , discriminating facial expressions and recognizing faces and emotions in FaceSay ’s structured environment with interactive , realistic avatar assistants improved their social skills abilities . The children with LFA demonstrated improvements in two areas of the intervention : emotion recognition and social interactions . The children with HFA demonstrated improvements in all three areas : facial recognition , emotion recognition , and social interactions . These findings , particularly the measured improvements to social interactions in a natural environment , are encouraging Abstract Camarata 's ( 2014 ) review summarizes the progress that has been made in the field of early identification and early intervention in autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) over the past few decades , but also provides a salutary reminder that much still needs to be done . Whilst it is possible to prospect ively identify cases of ASD using screening instruments ; it is critical that those using such screens in clinical practice underst and how to interpret data from published studies and consider how screening information is communicated to parents . After several decades when few r and omized controlled trials of early intervention in ASD were conducted , the last decade has seen an explosion of new studies . Despite initial optimism , as more trials are published they have highlighted the limits of , and challenges to , early intervention in ASD . Given the complex nature of ASD these sobering lessons are perhaps not surprising . Rather than promote despondency , they need to inspire and inform the next decade of clinical research to move the field forward to the benefit of young children with ASD and those who care for them This r and omized controlled trial looked at the effect of a new computer program design ed to teach people with autistic spectrum disorders to better recognize and predict emotional responses in others . Two groups of 11 children ( age 12 - 18 ) with autism or Asperger syndrome at two special schools participated :  one group used the computer program for 10 half-hour sessions over 2 weeks . Within-program data showed a significant reduction in errors made from first to last use . Students were assessed pre- and post-intervention using facial expression photographs , cartoons depicting emotion-laden situations , and non-literal stories . Scores were not related to age or verbal ability . The experimental group made gains relative to the control group on all three measures . Gains correlated significantly with the number of times the computer program was used and results suggest positive effects . Further research could assess whether these gains generalized into real life or improved performance on theory of mind measures
RESULTS A review of these studies showed that children with ASD are less school ready emotionally than their peers and those children with ASD appear to have more externalising behaviours and self-regulation difficulties that affect their school engagement and their relationships with their teachers .
There was a paucity of research looking at interventions targeting school readiness .
However , school-based behavioural interventions appear to improve cognitive , language and daily living skills , but have less impact on socialisation and peer inclusion .
CONCLUSION Children with ASD face more challenges transitioning to school , particularly with social interaction .
AIM To identify factors that promote a positive start to school for children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) .