Spanish-Language Autism Early Intervention Workshops: Evaluating Outcomes of a Translated Pivotal Response Treatment...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Parent involvement in early intervention is crucial for children with autism.
• Language barriers hinder Spanish-speaking families from accessing autism treatment strategies.
• Disparities in developmental outcomes are linked to limited access to effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a Spanish-translated and adapted Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) model.
• To address language barriers faced by Spanish-speaking families in early intervention for autism.
• To evaluate the impact of a Spanish PRT workshop on parent implementation and child outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A multiple baseline across-participant experimental design was used.
• Three children with autism (18-60 months) and their caregivers participated.
• Parents received training and coaching, with parent-child interactions video-recorded for progress monitoring.

Main Results:

• Parents achieved high fidelity (>80%) in implementing PRT strategies.
• Parents reported improved comprehension and confidence in applying PRT.
• Children showed increased frequency of verbal responses.

Conclusions:

• The Spanish adaptation of PRT is feasible and acceptable for Spanish-speaking families.
• This intervention effectively teaches parents core PRT components.
• The adapted PRT facilitates language development in autistic children from Spanish-speaking backgrounds.