Early Intensive Treatment Program
Project Description:
The EIT Program is a collaborative effort between the Human Development Center (HDC) at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), and the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council. This program is being developed to support state employed early interventionists and families of young children diagnosed with or with a suspected diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a combined coaching and pyramidal training model, early intervention teams will be established to coach family members in the use of evidence-based intervention strategies (e.g., applied behavioral analysis procedures; ABA) that address the core features of autism (i.e., communication, social interaction, and repetitive or stereotypical behaviors). Families of infants and toddlers diagnosed with or with a suspected diagnosis of an ASD who are currently receiving services through EarlySteps, Louisiana's Early Intervention System under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Part C (IDEIA, 2004), will be invited to participate in the program. Key components of coaching and pyramidal training model include observation, dialogue, modeling, repeated practice, feedback (positive and corrective), self-reflection, and evaluation.
The purpose of the pilot research project is to evaluate the effectiveness of early intervention service provider (EISP) teams' coaching and behavior-based trainings for teaching family members of children diagnosed with or with a suspected diagnosis of ASD to utilize evidence-based intervention strategies to enhance the learning and development of their children. Up to eight children and 16 family members (2 per child) from the southeast part of the state will be invited to participate in the program. A multiple baseline across family members with an embedded multielement design will be used. The main dependent variable will be family members? performance as interventionists as measured by the percentage of intervention steps correctly completed during intervention sessions. Secondary dependent variables will be related to specific and global child outcomes. We will also collect treatment integrity data related to EISP teams and family members use of specific coaching/training training techniques and intervention strategies.
Keyword(s):
early intervention for autism
Core Function(s):
Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Quality of Life
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
