# Parent mediated interventions for toddlers with ASD: Heterogeneity in timing and response to treatment

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $296,738

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY 
Parent-mediated interventions often target social communication in young children with ASD, although to date 
studies yield inconsistent effects. One reason for the limited evidence may be the considerable heterogeneity 
in both parent and child characteristics that affect the fit of intervention to family and ultimately influence 
treatment outcome. For parents, these factors might include stress associated with the uncertainty of their 
child's diagnosis, caregiver expectations for the intervention itself, and a parent's own style of interaction that 
may be influenced by milder but qualitatively similar ASD characteristics, known as the broad autism 
phenotype (BAP). For children, these factors might include nonverbal DQ, language, or sensory impairment. 
The fit between type of intervention and optimal outcome for parent and child is an understudied, yet essential 
component of early intervention that may be susceptible to the influence of heterogeneity in the parent and 
child. One approach to addressing this variability is to implement an adaptive intervention approach that seeks 
to capitalize on heterogeneity among children and parents. Utilizing an adaptive treatment design, the current 
study tests the optimal sequence of intervention delivery and specific parent and child characteristics that may 
moderate treatment success in three 10-week stages of intervention. The first phase will randomize parents 
and children to a parent education condition, consisting of a parent support and education group focused on 
social communication development, or to a parent mediated and therapist delivered condition involving 
coaching of the parent with their child in social communication strategies. Phase 2 involves re-randomizing 
parents and children to maintain the same treatment arm, or change to the opposite arm to test the optimal 
sequence of intervention delivery and specific parent and child characteristics that may moderate treatment 
success. In the final phase, dyads are randomized to different maintenance arms, each comprised of 5 
sessions with one involving skype and text contact, the other in -home visits, to explore how best to maintain 
treatment gains once the active intervention phase is complete. This study has the potential to dramatically 
improve child social communication outcomes by individualizing and personalizing parent intervention 
approaches with very young children, a high priority need of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Council and 
NIH.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9984496
- **Project number:** 5P50HD055784-14
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** CONNIE L. KASARI
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $296,738
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-08-06 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9984496

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9984496, Parent mediated interventions for toddlers with ASD: Heterogeneity in timing and response to treatment (5P50HD055784-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9984496. Licensed CC0.

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