Effects of a Low Intensity, Parent-Delivered Early Start Denver Model Intervention for Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Quebec
Authors/Creators
- 1. Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC Canada
- 2. Departments of Applied Psychology, Penn State Berks, Reading PA, USA
Description
Parent-delivered, low-intensity interventions such as the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) could provide a cost-effective solution to excessive delays between a diagnosis of autism and the provision of early intensive behavioural intervention. In this proof-of-concept
study conducted in Quebec, 18 families participated in a 13-week ESDM-based training and coaching intervention. Some improvements were observed in terms of children’s developmental skills and, to a lesser degree, challenging behaviours.
Parents’ teaching skills (intervention fidelity), parental sense of competence, and family quality of life also improved between baseline and the end of the program. These preliminary findings are promising and indicate an appropriate level of readiness to
conduct the second phase of the evaluation of ESDM for parents (i.e., P-ESDM).