20004
Using Parents' and Children's Input to Inform a Peer-Mediated Intervention for Young School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Objectives: The current study aimed to fill a void in the literature by considering families’ perspectives alongside the development of a peer-mediated, play-based PRT intervention for children with ASD in the first year of school. The goals of the study were to broadly inform peer-mediated and social skills interventions for children with ASD at school, and to inform the development of the specific proposed peer-mediated PRT intervention. Acceptability and feasibility of the proposed intervention in the school setting, as well as families’ recommended modifications were examined.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 parents of children with ASD (5-10 years), 6 parents of TD children (5-10 years), and 10 youths with ASD (10-12 years; N = 22). The interviews examined respondents’ perspectives of EBIs and PRT in general, and the overall acceptability and feasibility of the proposed intervention. Interview data were analyzed using descriptive content analysis.
Results: Overall, peer-mediated PRT was considered to be acceptable and feasible. Parents and youths agreed that communication and peer interaction skills (i.e., skills addressed in the proposed intervention) are important intervention targets, and that the first year of school (i.e., age 4-6 years) is an ideal time to facilitate peer interaction skills for children with ASD (i.e., as in the proposed play-based intervention). Some specific challenges with respect to peers as intervention implementers were identified; these differed by participant group. Parents and youths also provided specific advice regarding components of PMI and social skills interventions broadly (e.g., concerning the acceptability of older TD children as intervention implementers).
Conclusions: Key findings provided important direction with regard to the implementation of the proposed peer-mediated PRT intervention within schools, including recommendations that informed how to frame the intervention to parents and their children with and without ASD. The current study contributes to the literature by considering family perspectives on a proposed intervention during its design. The result of this collaboration is the development of an intervention with a higher probability of uptake in the school context.