OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of parent-mediated interventions on occupational performance of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD. We conducted a search of academic databases using terms such as autism spectrum disorder, parent, caregiver, and intervention. Five hundred eighty-two articles were reviewed, and 109 were selected for full-text review. The final analysis included 13 articles. RESULTS. Strong evidence was found for the efficacy of parent-mediated intervention for increasing child joint attention. Moderate evidence was found for the improvement of language scores, expressive language, nonverbal communication, initiation and response to interaction, behavior, play, adaptive functioning, ASD symptoms, and social communication. CONCLUSION. This systematic review suggests that parent-mediated interventions for children with ASD can improve various aspects of communication and ASD symptoms, with emerging support for occupational performance. Occupational therapy practitioners are well suited to facilitate these interventions to support families with children with autism.

Date Presented 3/30/2017 A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of parent-mediated interventions for children with autism in occupational performance areas. Findings support improvement in social communication and symptom severity, with emerging support for feeding, play, independence, and behavior. Primary Author and Speaker: Caitlin Dammann Additional Authors and Speakers: Colleen Althoff, Sarah Hope, Karla Ausderau

Date Presented 4/21/2018 Findings from this study provide preliminary confirmation of the construct validity of the Feeding Assessment for Children With Autism, providing researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive and psychometrically sound assessment tool to assess the unique feeding challenges of children with autism. Primary Author and Speaker: Karla Ausderau Additional Authors and Speakers: Muhammad Al-Heizan, Caitlin Dammann, Sarah Hope, Colleen Althoff, Katelyn Dorrance, Molly Hamre, Brittany St. John

Date Presented 03/26/20 This study presents the relationships between different types of feeding challenges for children with ASD to specific sensory patterns, parenting stress, and overall adaptive behaviors. The findings of this study suggest children with ASD demonstrate unique patterns of feeding challenges and sensory responses that are significantly connected to parenting stress and adaptive behavior and can inform the development of targeted family-centered feeding interventions. Primary Author and Speaker: Brittany St. John Additional Authors and Speakers: Molly Hamre, Karla Ausderau Contributing Authors: Muhammad Al-Heizan, Kate Dorrance, Colleen Althoff

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This study presents the relationships between different types of feeding challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to specific sensory patterns, parenting stress, and overall adaptive behaviors. The findings of this study suggest children with ASD demonstrate unique patterns of feeding challenges and sensory responses that are significantly connected to parenting stress and adaptive behavior and can inform the development of targeted family-centered feeding interventions. Primary Author and Speaker: Brittany St John Additional Authors and Speakers: Muhammad Al-Heizan, Molly Hamre, and Karla Ausderau Contributing Authors: Kate Dorrance, Colleen Althoff