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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Jul;44(7):1720-32.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-014-2049-2.

A parent-mediated intervention that targets responsive parental behaviors increases attachment behaviors in children with ASD: results from a randomized clinical trial

Michael Siller  1 , Meghan Swanson, Alan Gerber, Ted Hutman, Marian Sigman
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A parent-mediated intervention that targets responsive parental behaviors increases attachment behaviors in children with ASD: results from a randomized clinical trial

Michael Siller et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

The current study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Focused Playtime Intervention (FPI) in a sample of 70 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This parent-mediated intervention has previously been shown to significantly increase responsive parental communication (Siller et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 43:540-555, 2013a). The current analyses focus on children's attachment related outcomes. Results revealed that children who were randomly assigned to FPI showed bigger increases in attachment-related behaviors, compared to children assigned to the control condition. Significant treatment effects of FPI were found for both an observational measure of attachment-related behaviors elicited during a brief separation-reunion episode and a questionnaire measure evaluating parental perceptions of child attachment. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participant recruitment, enrollment, randomization, and retention
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphs depicting change in four measures of attachment-related behaviors between intake and exit assessments, presented separately for the experimental and control groups: a maternal perceptions of child attachment, b observed attachment behaviors (mean), c observed proximity/contact seeking behavior, and d observed avoidant behavior
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