Outcomes from the ASPEN intervention program: a randomized clinical trial of a culturally adapted parent-mediated...

This randomized controlled study examined the efficacy of a culturally adapted parent-mediated intervention for parents and young children with autism (n = 45) from low-resource households (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04505488). Families from these settings are often left out of autism intervention studies and arguably have unique needs not considered in autism intervention work. Parent/child dyads were randomized to the intervention group, which received 12 weekly sessions that included psychoeducation and coaching of evidence-based (EB) strategies with their children, or the comparison group who received all materials and 4 triweekly check-in sessions. We found that parents in the intervention group showed improvement in their self-efficacy (confidence) in using EB strategies, compared to the comparison group, and both groups improved in the use of EB strategies. Parents in the comparison group also improved in feeling more empowered and their children improved in social communication skills. These findings suggest that less intense parent interventions may be just as efficacious as those that require more regular participation for families from low-resource households. More research is needed to find the right balance and active ingredients to benefit these families.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04505488, identifier NCT04505488.