Mindfulness strategies can have a large impact on emotional regulation, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships. Parents of children on the autism spectrum may experience greater stress, depression, and strained interpersonal relationships than those with typically developing children or those with children experiencing other…

While there are opportunities for families to fulfill leadership roles in early intervention, families often report feeling disempowered and unprepared to become leaders. To this end, in this pilot study, we evaluated the effectiveness and feasibility of an 8-hour leadership program for 20 parents of children who are receiving, or recently…

Therapeutic playgroups have potential to benefit families and children enrolled in early intervention. A pretest-posttest, mixed methods, sequential explanatory design was utilized to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of an 8-week SEE Me (Social Emotional Education) therapeutic playgroup delivered by a collaborative team of providers using…

Parents may be well placed to deliver therapeutic support to their own autistic preschool children. Parent-implemented Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) is one well-researched program for coaching parents to use strategies in daily routines to support child development. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of parents of autistic…

Researchers have identified effective instructional strategies for teaching peer imitation, including embedded classroom-based interventions. However, there is a dearth of strategies that have been effective for teaching generalization of imitation skills to novel contexts. Building on previous research, we examined the use of progressive time…

This article describes the development and use of a first of its kind statewide implementation of an adapted Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Supported by a collaborative partnership between stakeholders that included families, state agencies, and a state university, the intervention was implemented within the existing framework of a northeastern…

A multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of progressive time delay (PTD) during small group instruction to teach social problem-solving to preschoolers and to assess generalization to novel contexts. PTD was used to teach children to both name and use a variety of problem-solving solutions. Target…

This study examined the effects of the BEST in CLASS intervention professional development component when delivered online in comparison with in person and a control group. A total of 29 early childhood teachers serving young children demonstrating challenging behaviors were included as participants. Data were collected on teachers' classroom…

A cluster randomized design was used to investigate the effects of the "Story Friends" vocabulary curriculum on learning of 84 preschoolers in 24 classrooms who were at risk for language difficulties. Children in the treatment condition received explicit vocabulary instruction of 36 words during small-group storybook listening centers…

Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidence-based intervention that while often effective, can result in rote responding, reduced generalizability of target behavior, and resurgence of challenging behavior (CB) during treatment lapses. Lag schedules of reinforcement have been successfully used to address these concerns. We applied an…

The Maryland's Premature Infant Developmental Enrichment (PRIDE) program is a unique collaborative endeavor between the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Part C program for Baltimore City residents (Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program; BITP). To evaluate the impact of PRIDE, the current study compared premature infants from…

This pilot feasibility study applies the RE-AIM Implementation Science Framework to examine the implementation and preliminary signals of the effectiveness of integrating the Group-Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) in an early childhood education center serving under-resourced communities. Five preschoolers diagnosed with autism, their caregivers,…

Many young children entering early childhood programs demonstrate challenging behaviors that place them at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (EBDs), which impact their future success in school. The purpose of this study was to conduct a conceptual replication of BEST in CLASS by examining child outcomes from BEST in CLASS--Web, a web-based…

Parents of children who are newly identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) face many decisions surrounding communication and intervention, including where to receive early intervention (EI) services. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of parents of DHH children enrolled in a center-based, family-centered EI program focused on…

This mixed-methods study aimed to test the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of involving early childhood education (ECE) staff without special education training or prior parent coaching experience in the delivery of an adapted evidence-based parent coaching intervention for young children with autism (Focused Playtime…