An Early Social Engagement Intervention for Young Children with Autism and their Parents

The social vulnerabilities associated with young children with autism are recognized as important intervention targets due
to their influence on subsequent development. Current research suggests that interventions that combine motivational and social
components can create meaningful changes in social functioning. Simultaneously, it is hypothesized that parent delivery of
such strategies can invoke increases in these core social behaviors and parent engagement. This study examined the effects
of teaching parents to implement a social engagement intervention with their children. The results indicated that the use
of this parent-delivered social intervention led to (a) increases in their children’s use of eye contact, directed positive
affect, and verbal initiations, (b) increases in parent positive affect and synchronous engagement, and (c) generalized increases
in parent and child behaviors.