Evaluation of a Brief Teacher Coaching Program for Delivering an Early Intervention Program to Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

There is a need for research that evaluates the effectiveness of early intervention when delivered in inclusive preschools. In this study, 3 regular preschool teachers were trained to use the Early Start Denver Model with a child with autism spectrum disorder who attended an inclusive preschool. Each teacher worked with 1 child. Teachers received eleven 60-min coaching sessions based on an adapted version of the Early Start Denver Model's parent coaching program. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate effectiveness in terms of teachers' use of the early intervention techniques and children's levels of participation, imitation, and communication. Data were collected via weekly 10-min video recordings, with 3 follow-up probes conducted 11 weeks following intervention. Teachers improved in their use of early intervention techniques, and children demonstrated improved levels of active participation, but results for child imitation and communication were mixed. Positive results were generally maintained at follow-up. This study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness and feasibility of using a modified coaching program to train preschool teachers to use early intervention techniques from the Early Start Denver Model.

Global Trends in Physical-Activity Research of Autism: Bibliometric Analysis Based on the Web of Science Database (1980–2021)

“…For example, Education Special and Education Educational Research are also among the top ten contributing categories. Students with ASD may have educational needs that other students do not have [ 28 ], and early intervention aims to reduce the symptoms of ASD patients [ 85 ] and to improve or enhance new skills [ 85 , 86 ]. PA has shown its related benefits to ASD patients (such as stereotyped behavior and motor skills).…”

Feasible Adaptation of ESDM for Statewide Implementation: A Look at Potential Effects, Implementation Conditions, and Cost

“…In the previous two decades of research, the ESDM has demonstrated implementation versatility across intervention settings and agents. Implementation of the ESDM has been effectively adapted beyond intensive university research settings (Dawson et al, 2010), to include implementation in childcare centers and preschool settings (Fulton et al, 2014; Tupou et al, 2020; Vivanti et al, 2019, 2022; Zitter et al, 2023), family homes (Holtzinger et al, 2019; Waddington et al, 2021), parent education (Mirenda et al, 2022; Rogers et al, 2021), and telehealth (Vismara et al, 2013, 2018) implementation models. Moreover, the ESDM has been implemented with positive outcomes by individuals from a wide range of expertise from interdisciplinary professionals (i.e., psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists) to early childcare providers and parents (Baril & Humphreys, 2017; Rogers & Dawson, 2010).…”

Evolution of the Autism Literature and the Influence of Parents: A Scientific Mapping in Web of Science

“…These interventions, if carried out early, can cause an important and significant improvement in the deficiencies of these people [ 23 ]. In addition, early intervention can enhance other types of unaffected skills [ 24 , 25 ].…”