This project will look at whether a novel approach to language intervention that encourages looking to audiovisual speech cues for infants with autistic older siblings (Baby Sibs), who are highly likely be diagnosed with autism or developmental language disorder (DLD). This study will specifically look at (a) whether caregivers find this approach to be easy to implement in their homes, (b) whether they find this approach to be acceptable, and (c) whether caregivers use the taught strategies in interactions with their infants.
This project will test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel approach to language intervention based on Milieu Teaching (Milieu Teaching-AV) that encourages looking to audiovisual speech cues for infants with autistic older siblings (Sibs-autism), who are highly likely be diagnosed with autism or developmental language disorder (DLD). The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: 1. Can caregivers be trained in Milieu Teaching-AV, such that they are using the trained strategies in play with their infant children? 2. Do caregivers find these procedures to be acceptable and feasible to use in their everyday life.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
In Milieu Teaching-AV, coaches will teach caregivers to engage the child in play or routines around a standardized set of toys, follow the child's attention or communication lead around these toys, and respond to the infant's communication acts by modeling and expanding those communication acts into more sophisticated strategies. While responding to infant communication acts, coaches will slowly move the referent of the infant's lead near the face at approximately the level of the mouth, wait for the infant to shift his/her gaze towards the new referent position if necessary, and provide all models, prompting, and expanding while maintaining placement of the referent near the mouth.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Caregiver strategy use
Proportion of milieu teaching trials during a caregiver-child free play session wherein the caregiver moves the referent of the child's lead towards the mouth
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the treatment (i.e., all baseline and treatment sessions, up to 20 weeks)
Caregiver attitudes on the feasibility of Milieu Teaching-AV - Quantitative
Caregiver attitudes towards the feasibility of this approach will be conducted via the Feasibility Intervention Measure Score (range of scores = 4-20)
Time frame: At the conclusion of the treatment (i.e., following all intervention sessions; up to 20 weeks)
Caregiver attitudes on the acceptability of Milieu Teaching-AV - Quantitative
Caregiver attitudes towards the feasibility of this approach will be conducted via the Acceptability of Intervention Measure Score (range of scores = 4-20)
Time frame: At the conclusion of the treatment (i.e., following all intervention sessions; up to 20 weeks)
Caregiver attitudes on the feasibility of Milieu Teaching-AV - Qualitative
Caregiver attitudes towards the feasibility of this approach will be conducted via the coding of a qualitative interview.
Time frame: At the conclusion of the treatment (i.e., following all intervention sessions; up to 20 weeks)
Caregiver attitudes on the acceptability of Milieu Teaching-AV - Qualitative
Caregiver attitudes towards the acceptability of this approach will be conducted via the coding of a qualitative interview.
Time frame: At the conclusion of the treatment (i.e., following all intervention sessions; up to 20 weeks)
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