Early Dyadic Communication Lab

Parent-mediated intervention, initiated early on in development, has been shown to improve long term outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (Dawson et al., 2010). The research that forms the basis for strategies used in interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted with primarily white, mid to upper-class, monolingual English-speaking families (e.g., Baranek et al. 2015; Wetherby et al. 2014). To date, there are no studies that have directly tested these research-based strategies in Latinx immigrant families.

 

This project will meet a significant need for Latinx Spanish-speaking families of children with ASD who are regularly presented early intervention strategies that are designed for an alternative cultural group and may be less effective (Parra Cardona et al., 2012).

 

Using a strengths-based approach, culturally-relevant parent behaviors that lead to child language growth will be identified for use in new culturally aligned interventions.Through an analysis of typical parent behaviors and child outcomes, we will identify culturally relevant and therapeutic parent behaviors that can be used as main ingredients in parent-mediated ASD interventions. These adaptations to ASD interventions may be uniquely beneficial to Latinx families by improving equitable outcomes in ASD intervention.

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Funded by The Spencer Foundation. Racial Equity Grant, (#202200166). UVA STAR Pilot study funding also supported this project.