The Effects of a Pivotal Response Treatment-Based Community Intervention on Social Interactions of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Severe and persistent impairment in social functioning is a core feature of ASD that has a significant impact on real world adaptive success (Rutter, 2005). Left untreated, social dysfunction results in substantial burden on families, educators and health care providers. As a result, the treatment of social skills deficits is the focus of many interventions for children with ASD. However, little is known about the translation of social skills into naturalistic settings among peers. When assessed, social skills are examined qualitatively or informally, in clinic settings, often facilitated by an adult (Lord et al., 2005). While successful peer interaction is the most valued outcome for parents whose children have ASD, this critical outcome has been surprisingly overlooked (Mesibov, Shea & Adams, 2001). In attempt to address this gap, the proposed observational study seeks to examine peer interactions of children with ASD in a real world setting after participating in a community based EIBI program (NS EIBI). This innovative program provides evidence-based intervention that is feasible, cost-effective and sustainable in community settings (Bryson et al., 2007). The sample will consist of children previously enrolled in the NS EIBI program and children who received alternative intervention. Children will be observed in one-on-one and group free play settings. The study will utilize a one-zero time-sampling procedure (Martin & Bateson, 1995) at 30-second intervals. Social skills will be examined using a multi-faceted approach, obtaining parent and teacher report measures in addition to direct observation (MacIntosh & Dissanayake, 2006; Sparrow, Cicchetti & Balla, 2005). The proposed research will evaluate whether skills acquired in the NS EIBI program are maintained and generalized to a real world setting. Moreover, these findings will have broad implications for more effective interventions that target valued outcomes for children with ASD.