Influence of a Short-Term Attention Intervention on the Attentional Skills of Toddlers with Suspected or Confirmed Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Lori-Ann R. Sacrey; Lonnie Zwaigenbaum; Isabel M. Smith; Jessica A. Brian; Sam Wass; Emily J. H. Jones; Mark H. Johnson

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ERIC Number: EJ1488545

Record Type: Journal

Publication Date: 2025-Nov

Pages: 13

Abstractor: As Provided

ISBN: N/A

ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920

EISSN: EISSN-1467-8624

Available Date: 2025-08-22

Influence of a Short-Term Attention Intervention on the Attentional Skills of Toddlers with Suspected or Confirmed Autism Spectrum Disorder

Lori-Ann R. Sacrey¹; Lonnie Zwaigenbaum¹; Isabel M. Smith²; Jessica A. Brian³; Sam Wass⁴; Emily J. H. Jones⁵; Mark H. Johnson^5,6

Child Development, v96 n6 p2176-2188 2025

Examination of the effectiveness of an attention intervention using a randomized controlled trial for toddlers with suspected or confirmed autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data was collected from Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, Canada between February 2018 and February 2020 (halted due to COVID-19 pandemic). Participants were 35 toddlers randomized to the attention condition (age at start: 25.49 + 3.91 months; 29 boys; mother's ethnicity: 65% white) and 34 toddlers randomized to a control condition. (age at start: 26.32 + 3.55 months; 24 boys; mother's ethnicity: 29% white). The results suggest that the attentional skills can be improved by a computer-based attention intervention, which in turn affects behavior observed in a real-world setting.

Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Intervention, Attention, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Toddlers, At Risk Persons, Program Effectiveness, Skill Development, Computer Assisted Instruction, Observation

Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us

Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research

Education Level: N/A

Audience: N/A

Language: English

Sponsor: N/A

Authoring Institution: N/A

Identifiers - Location: Canada

Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Mullen Scales of Early Learning

Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A

Author Affiliations: ¹Autism Research Centre, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; ²IWK Health and Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ³Bloorview Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ⁴Department of Psychological Sciences, University of East London, London, UK; ⁵Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK; ⁶Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK