The Relationship Between Effective Engagement and Developmental Age in Children with Autism Abby Ramser Lisa Ruble, PhD

Introduction PDD-NOS Asperger’sAutism

Autism is BEHAVIORALLY rather than MEDICALLY diagnosed

DSM IV (2000) defines autism as:  Qualitative impairment in social interaction and communication  Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interest, and activities.  Abnormal functioning in social interaction, language used in social interaction, or symbolic or imaginative play beginning before age three.

Engagement Research National Research Council (2001) Educating Children with Autism recommends 25 hours per week of active engagement McWilliams (1995): A positive relationship between developmental age and engagement Mahoney (1999): Studies support the idea that responsiveness as opposed to directiveness is the beneficial characteristic of parents.

Active Engagement E-QUAL III: Children’s Engagement Codes McWilliams and de Kruif (1998) Actively engaged time: “Time children spend interacting with the environment in a developmentally and contextually appropriate manner.” McWilliams and Bailey(1995)

Intervention About half of children with autism improve in developmental skills when they receive intensive early intervention. Components of an effective program involve meaningful interactions  Reciprocal play, imitation, and communication

Purpose of Study (a) to develop the Parent Engagement Scale (PES) which is based on the Child Engagement Scale. (b) to examine the relationship between the PES and child characteristics.

Method Participants  10 children and their parents  Assessed at STAR’s Early Childhood Evaluation Materials  Parent Engagement Scale  Test Scores  Videos of parent-child free play

Materials Parent Engagement Scale  Directiveness  Responsiveness  Affectiveness  Movement

Materials Test Scores  ADOS  CARS  DAS  Vineland  Social Skills Survey (Parents and Teacher)  Communicative Functions  PLS-4 or Rosetti  Peabody

Procedure Gather participants’ test scores Code videos of parent-child free play

Results Interrater Reliability r>.80 Negative correlation between parent active engagement (responsive) and child developmental age (r=-0.71, p <0.05)

Discussion The PES was found to be reliable Parents of children with more severe autism appear to demonstrate more active engagement with their child according to the PES Further comparative study needed that looks at engagement after intervention

Future Implications Parent-child interaction training Global PES: Consistency Child engagement improving as a result of productive parent engagement