The role of parent phenotype in parent-mediated language interventions for autism

 描述(由申请人提供)：高剂量的早期干预对于患有自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的幼儿的语言技能发展至关重要(Dawson等人，2010年)，让父母参与是最大限度地增加干预剂量的经济有效的方法。然而，父母的干预对父母和孩子的结果有不一致的影响(Oono，Honey，&McConache，2013)。这种差异很可能是因为父母没有接受过与临床医生相同的培训，而且几乎没有花费精力检查父母的特征，这些特征可能会影响他们实施不同类型干预策略的能力。鉴于已知的认知、个性和语言特征(广泛的自闭症表型，BAP)存在于许多自闭症儿童的父母中，研究父母的BAP特征与他们实施不同的父母干预策略之间的关系是确定父母干预结果的潜在变异性的重要的第一步。本研究的目的是考察BAP的特征如何影响父母对语言干预策略的使用以及随后的儿童语言技能。中心假设是，父母的BAP特征将与：(A)语言干预策略的差异使用和(B)儿童的语言技能有关。具体目标包括确定：(A)BAP特征和父母干预的类型与母亲使用语言干预策略和随后的儿童语言技能之间的关系；(B)BAP特征调节干预类型和母亲使用语言干预策略之间的关系；(C)母亲的社会认知技能与她们对语言干预策略的使用和孩子的语言技能有关。这项拟议的研究将招募108名18-36个月大的自闭症儿童及其母亲。母子二元将被随机分配到两种父母中介的干预策略中的一种，这两种策略在理论方法(反应-发展、指令-行为)方面存在差异。在随机化前(测试前)、干预后(测试后)和干预结束后3个月对母子二人组进行评估，以监测维持情况。两组的儿童将接受每周8次的家庭干预，采用相同的实验程序。这项拟议的研究具有重要意义，因为它将首次检验BAP特征对两种不同的父母中介干预策略(指导性和响应性)对机器人父母和孩子结局的影响。了解BAP特征对父母使用干预策略和随后的儿童语言技能的影响是根据父母特征定制父母中介干预的关键步骤。拟议研究的长期积极影响是，通过量身定做利用父母优势的父母中介干预措施，改善自闭症儿童干预措施的语言结果。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): High dosage of early intervention is critical to language skill development in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (Dawson et al., 2010) and including parents is a cost-effective approach to maximize intervention dosage. However, parent-mediated interventions have inconsistent effects on parent and child outcomes (Oono, Honey, & McConachie, 2013). This variability is likely because parents do not have the same training as clinicians and little effort has been spent examining parent characteristics that may influence their ability to implement different types of intervention strategies. Given the known cognitive, personality and language features (Broad Autism Phenotype, BAP) present among many parents of children with ASD, examining the relationship between BAP traits in parents and their implementation of different parent-mediated intervention strategies is an important first step in identifying potential sources of variability in parent-mediated interventio outcomes. The objective of the proposed study is to examine how BAP traits influence parent use of language intervention strategies and subsequent child language skills. The central hypothesis is that the parental BAP traits will be associated with: (a) differential use of languag intervention strategies and (b) child language skills. The specific aims include determining the extent to which: (a) BAP traits and type of parent-mediated intervention are associated with mother use of language intervention strategies and subsequent child language skills, (b) BAP traits moderate the relationship between intervention type and mother use of language intervention strategies, and (c) mother social cognitive skills are associated with their use of language intervention strategies and their children's language skills. The proposed study will enroll 108 children with ASD 18 - 36 months old and their mothers. Mother-child dyads will be randomly assigned to one of two parent-mediated intervention strategies that are contrasted in their theoretical approach (responsive-developmental, directive-behavioral). Mother-child dyads will be assessed before randomization (pre-test), after intervention (post-test) and 3 months after the end of intervention to monitor maintenance. Children in both groups will receive 8 weekly intervention sessions at home using the same experimental procedures. The proposed research is significant because it will be the first examination of the impact of BAP traits on bot parent and child outcomes of two different parent-mediated intervention strategies (directive, responsive). Understanding the effects of BAP traits on parent use of intervention strategies and subsequent child language skills is a key step in customizing parent-mediated interventions based on parent characteristics. The long-term positive effect of the proposed research is to improve language outcomes of interventions for children with autism by tailoring parent-mediated interventions that capitalize on parental strengths.