Improving Attention Skills of Children With Autism

United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Phase 1

Conditions

Autism

Treatments

Behavioral: Caregiver joint attention intervention

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00065910

R21MH064927

Details and patient eligibility

About

Toddlers with autism have poor joint attention skills. Joint attention skills include pointing to objects, following another person's gaze, and responding to invitations to join in a social interaction. Improved joint attention skills may lead to better verbal ability as the child ages. This study teaches caregivers how to help their toddlers with autism develop joint attention skills.

Full description

Young children with autism show impairment in joint attention. The impairment affects their ability to sustain a shared interest in social interaction and to use specific joint attention skills, such as pointing and showing. The importance of joint attention is underscored by data suggesting these skills are important to later language skills. Targeting joint attention deficits in developmentally young children using familiar caregivers may result in better child language outcomes. This study will teach caregivers how to initiate and maintain episodes of joint engagement with their children.

Participants will be randomized to either the intervention group or to a wait list control group. Each caregiver and child in the intervention group will participate in 24 1-hour sessions, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. In these sessions, caregivers will be taught 10 different modules for teaching joint attention skills to their children. Outcome measures will include language and joint attention skills in the child and caregiver adherence to the intervention protocols. Children and caregivers will be assessed at baseline, during the course of the 8-week intervention, and 10 weeks after the end of the intervention. Participants assigned to the wait list group will begin the intervention at Week 12.

Sex

All

Ages

12 to 36 months old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria