A Randomized, Community-Based Feasibility Trial of Modified ESDM for Toddlers with Suspected Autism.

This study tested whether parent coaching helps toddlers who might have autism. Parents got 24 weeks of support from trained community workers who taught them skills based on a play-based early intervention approach. Children whose parents received coaching understood more words than children in the comparison group. Parents who got coaching also felt better about their quality of life and were more confident in their parenting skills.

This randomized feasibility trial evaluated a parent coaching intervention based on modified Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for toddlers with suspected autism across 16 Canadian community agencies. Forty-nine families were randomized to either parent coaching (24 weeks of support from trained community providers) or enhanced community treatment. Both groups received standard community services and supplementary materials. The parent coaching group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in children's word understanding compared to controls.

Parents in the coaching group also reported significantly higher quality of life, satisfaction with services, and parenting self-efficacy. The study provides valuable insights into implementing autism interventions in real-world community settings.

Parent coaching interventions may be feasibly delivered through community agencies and show promise for improving child language outcomes and parent wellbeing. The approach could be integrated into existing community service models to support families awaiting formal autism assessments or interventions.

This was a feasibility trial with a small sample size. The study focused on suspected rather than confirmed autism diagnoses. Challenges of conducting research in community settings may have affected implementation fidelity and outcome measurement.

A randomized feasibility trial of a parent coaching (PC) intervention was conducted across 16 community agencies in a Canadian province. Parents of toddlers with suspected autism were assigned to either a PC group (n = 24) or an enhanced community treatment (ECT) group (n = 25). PC participants received 24 weeks of coaching support from community service providers trained in the project. Children in both groups also received available community services and supplementary materials.

PC children made significantly greater gains in word understanding and PC parents had significantly higher quality of life, satisfaction, and self-efficacy scores. Results are discussed in terms of the challenges of conducting feasibility studies in community settings and the lessons learned in the project.