Efficacy of the ASAP Intervention for Preschoolers with ASD: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Brian A Boyd; Linda R Watson; Stephanie S Reszka; John Sideris; Michael Alessandri; Grace T Baranek; Elizabeth R Crais; Amy Donaldson; Anibal Gutierrez; LeAnne Johnson; Katie Belardi

doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3584-z

Efficacy of the ASAP Intervention for Preschoolers with ASD: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

J Autism Dev Disord. 2018 Sep;48(9):3144-3162. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3584-z.

Authors

Brian A Boyd^{1

2}, Linda R Watson³, Stephanie S Reszka⁴, John Sideris^{5

6}, Michael Alessandri⁷, Grace T Baranek^{4

5}, Elizabeth R Crais³, Amy Donaldson⁸, Anibal Gutierrez⁷, LeAnne Johnson⁹, Katie Belardi^{3

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7190, USA. brian.boyd@ku.edu.
² Juniper Gardens Children's Project, University of Kansas, 444 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS, 66101-2914, USA. brian.boyd@ku.edu.
³ Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7190, USA.
⁴ Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7190, USA.
⁵ USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Therapy, 1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-9003, USA.
⁶ FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248185, Coral Gables, FL, 33124-0751, USA.
⁸ Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Portland State University, 724 SW Harrison, Rm 93, Portland, OR, 97201, USA.
⁹ Special Education Programs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
¹⁰ Speech-Language Pathology, Rangos School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA.

PMID: 29691794
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3584-z

Abstract

The advancing social-communication and play (ASAP) intervention was designed as a classroom-based intervention, in which the educational teams serving preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder are trained to implement the intervention in order to improve these children's social-communication and play skills. In this 4-year, multi-site efficacy trial, classrooms were randomly assigned to ASAP or a business-as-usual control condition. A total of 78 classrooms, including 161 children, enrolled in this study. No significant group differences were found for the primary outcomes of children's social-communication and play. However, children in the ASAP group showed increased classroom engagement. Additionally, participation in ASAP seemed to have a protective effect for one indicator of teacher burnout. Implications for future research are discussed.

Keywords: ASAP; Autism spectrum disorder; Engagement; Randomized controlled trial; School interventions; Social-communication.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Autism Spectrum Disorder / diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder / psychology*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / therapy*
Child, Preschool
Cluster Analysis
Communication*
Early Intervention, Educational / methods*
Female
Humans
Male
Play and Playthings / psychology*
School Teachers / psychology*
Social Behavior
Social Communication Disorder / diagnosis
Social Communication Disorder / psychology
Social Communication Disorder / therapy
Treatment Outcome

Grants and funding

R324A110256/Institute of Education Sciences