EARLY COMMUNICATION INTERVENTION IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN

这项建议的目的是评估特定干预措施(响应性和语言前环境教学：RPMT)在改善自闭症幼儿的社会沟通和运动模仿技能方面的有效性。完整的RPMT和语言前环境教学部分都有效地增加了一组发育迟缓儿童和3名自闭症儿童的社会交流的几个方面。被提议的因变量是：(A)有意交流，(B)眼神交流，(C)开始联合注意，(D)协调使用最常用于表达开始联合注意的行为，(E)注意积极情感分享，(E)运动模仿，和(F)表达词汇水平。我们将测试这些因变量的治疗效果是否作为(A)治疗前儿童和父母的特征以及(B)非项目治疗参与的几个特征的函数而变化。我们还将测试对6个月后的表达词汇是否产生治疗效果，并通过启动联合注意来调节。为了控制暴露在引起交流的情况和测试地点，将使用对比处理。儿童将被随机分配到治疗中。儿童将被随机分配到治疗中。每种治疗中的儿童将在6个月内被同等次数的检查。交流、词汇和运动模仿的评估将在治疗前、治疗后和6个月的随访期进行。考官和编码员将对治疗任务视而不见。

The purpose of this proposal is to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific intervention (Responsivity and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching: RPMT) on improving social communication and motor imitation skills in young children with autism. Both the full RPMT, and the Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching component, have been effective in increasing several aspects of social communication in a group of children with developmental delays and in 3 children with autism. The proposed dependent variables are (a) intentional communication, (b) communication with eye contact, (c) initiating joint attention, (d) coordinated use of the behaviors most frequently used to convey initiating joint attention, (e) attention to positive affect sharing, (e) motor imitation, and (f) expressive vocabulary level. We will test whether treatment effects on these dependent variables vary as a function of (a) pretreatment child and parental characteristics and (b) several characteristics of non-project treatment involvement. We will also test whether treatment effects on 6- month follow-up expressive vocabulary occur and are mediated by initiating joint attention. To control for exposure to situations that evoke communication and to the testing location, a contrast treatment will be used. Children will be randomly assigned to treatments. Children will be randomly assigned to treatments. Children in each treatment will be seen an equal number of times for 6 months. Assessments of communication, vocabulary, and motor imitation will occur at the pre-treatment, port-treatment, and 6 month follow-up periods. Examiners and coders will be blind to treatment assignment.