Effects of Project ImPACT Parent-Mediated Intervention on the Spoken Language of Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose The purpose of this study was to measure spoken language and social communication in young children with autism spectrum disorder following their participation in a 12-week parent-mediated intervention. Method Nineteen children with autism spectrum disorder and their primary caregivers completed the Project ImPACT intervention, which focuses on language, social engagement, imitation, and play. Expressive vocabulary and social communication were measured pre- and posttreatment. Results Expressive vocabulary significantly increased at the group level as measured by parent report. Expressive vocabulary for half of the sample grew by more than 25%, indicating good response to intervention. However, when a categorical approach was applied using total number of words, all but one of the participants who was minimally verbal pretreatment remained minimally verbal after treatment. Clinicians reported significant increases on all dimensions of social communication as measured by the Social Communication Checklist with the exception of imitation. Caregiver responses on the Social Communication Checklist suggested significant growth in only form of language and play functions. Greater change in spoken language between pre- and posttreatment was significantly related to higher posttreatment average scores of language form, language function, understanding, imitation, and play dimensions, as reported by caregivers. Conclusions Results provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of parent-mediated interventions on spoken language in addition to social communication.