Grant to fund study of responsive teaching in children with autism

A Case Western Reserve University researcher is trying to tap into the window of opportunity that exists to lessen the impact of autism in children 3 years old and younger.

Child with his head in his hands at a desk

Gerald Mahoney, director of the Center on Interventions for Children and Families at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, has received a three-year $780,000 grant from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development to study the effects of a new developmental intervention called responsive teaching. Designed to be used by parents and other primary caregivers, responsive teaching enhances children's development and social emotional functioning.

"This intervention differs from some of the more commonly used interventions for children with autism," Mahoney said. "This intervention emphasizes increasing children's involvement in daily routines rather than in direct instruction or rote learning activities."

In a 2005 publication, Mahoney and his co-investigator, Frida Perales, a research associate at MSASS, reported that a sample of 20 children with autism who received this intervention for 12 months made impressive improvements in some key skills affected by autism. Among those skills are the ability to communicate, interact with adults and children and regulate emotions and behaviors.

This new study will use a more rigorous research design to evaluate the effectiveness of responsive teaching. Sixty children with autism who are younger than 3 will be randomly assigned either to a group that receives individual parent-child responsive teaching sessions or a group that receives responsive teaching in parent groups. All participants will receive the same basic information. Participation in the project does not prevent children or their parents from receiving other intervention services.

Parents who would like more information on participation in the study may contact Perales at 216-368-1824 or fpm2@case.edu.

Autism affects one of every 150 children born in the United States.