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Preliminary Efficacy of Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers: Effects on Parents and Their Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of an intervention to support parents and promote skill development in newly diagnosed toddlers with ASD. Participants included 50 children with ASD under 3 and their parents who were randomly assigned to participate in a 6-month intervention, Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers (FITT) or 6 months of community services as usual. FITT included 90-min in-home sessions (n = 20) and parent group sessions (n = 4). Results revealed significant treatment effects on parent stress and well-being, with families in the FITT group showing decreased stress and improved well-being over time. While no treatment effects were found for global child measures, there were significant treatment effects on social communication skills.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the families who generously participated in this study and would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of Samantha Scott, Cassidy Arnold, Laurie Moses, and Amanda Benson to the project. This research was supported in part by grants from the Department of Health and Human Services Maternal Child Health Bureau (R40MC22648) and by the NICHD IDDRC (U54 HD079124).

Author's contributions

LTB, KH, and BAB conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination and drafted the manuscript; KK performed the statistical analysis and participated in the interpretation of the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry/TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7180 UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Lauren Turner-Brown

  2. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 517 S. Greensboro, Carrboro, NC, 27510, USA

    Kara Hume & Kirsten Kainz

  3. Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2050 Bondurant Hall, CB# 7122, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7205, USA

    Brian A. Boyd

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  1. Lauren Turner-Brown
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  2. Kara Hume
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Correspondence to Lauren Turner-Brown.

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Conflict of interest

Lauren Turner-Brown, Kara Hume, Brian Boyd and Kirsten Kainz declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

All research activities were approved by our institution’s IRB prior to enrolling participants. Informed consent was obtained from families prior to participation in any research activities.

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Turner-Brown, L., Hume, K., Boyd, B.A. et al. Preliminary Efficacy of Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers: Effects on Parents and Their Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 2685–2698 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2812-7

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