Having access to parenting interventions in the early years is key to improve developmental outcomes of children with neurodevelopmental problems. The Incredible Years® (IY) Parent Program is a group intervention that has demonstrated efficacy in terms of reducing stress in parents, as well as improving behavioral, emotional and social outcomes in children. The program has been recently adapted for families of children with autism or language delays (IY-ASLD®). This intervention has not yet been implemented in the Spanish Public Health System, where there is a scarcity of evidence-based interventions being offered to families with young children presenting neurodevelopmental problems. The main aims of this study are to determine the feasibility of implementing the IY-ASLD® program within Spanish Child Mental Health Services, as well as to examine parents’ acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention. As a secondary objective, we aim to evaluate its preliminary effectiveness in terms of reducing parental stress and behavioral difficulties in their children. The FIRST STEPS study is a multicenter, pilot randomized controlled trial comparing the IY-ASLD® program with a treatment-as-usual (TAU) condition. Approximately 70 families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and preterm children with communication and/or socialization difficulties (aged 2–5 years) will be recruited. Families will be assessed prior to randomization and after the intervention.The FIRST STEPS pilot trial will demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of reliably implementing the IY-ASLD® program within the Spanish Public Health System. The results of this study could represent a first step to inform policy makers in Spain when designing evidence-based healthcare pathways for families of children presenting ASD symptoms or neurodevelopmental difficulties at early stages.

El Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) es un trastorno del neurodesarrollo que afecta al desarrollo social y de la comunicación, así como patrones de conductas restrictivas y repetitivas. El TEA también se asocia a una alta prevalencia de trastornos psiquiátricos coexistentes. En el esfuerzo de identificar características del ambiente familiar que puedan influir en el curso de estos trastornos coexistentes en individuos con TEA, los investigadores están explorando el constructo de Emociones Expresadas (EE) que mide la relación afectiva entre dos personas, cuyos dominios son el criticismo, calidez, relación y sobre-implicación emocional. El estudio actual tiene como objetivo revisar el constructo de EE, cómo se mide y se aplica en la relación paterno-filial en niños con desarrollo típico y población TEA y describir la adaptación cultural en español así como validar la traducción del contenido del Manual de Autism-Specify Five Minutes Sample Speech (ASFMSS).