Developing and Piloting a Comprehensive Evaluation of a Community Delivered Social Communication Training Program for Families of Autistic Pre-school Children

Increasing prevalence of autism worldwide intensifies the need to identify effective and accessible supports. Speech-language therapy is one of the most frequently accessed services for children diagnosed with autism. One intervention commonly used by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) is More Than Words®-The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Autism. Despite its widespread use, it lacks sufficient scientific support to understand for whom and how this program works best. Randomized control trials (RCT) in real-world settings are urgently needed. Before running costly RCTs, we need to develop and pilot test a strong plan for evaluating treatment outcomes. To do this, we will (1) collaborate with SLPs to develop a feasible and comprehensive evaluation plan, and (2) test the usability of our plan within a small study conducted in a real-word SLP program. Results will also inform future treatment program development and modifications of existing programs at The Hanen Centre.

Faculty Supervisor:

Janis Oram Cardy;Patricia Tucker

Student:

Partner:

The Hanen Centre

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program: