Principal Investigator:
Grace Baranek, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Occupational Science
Co-Principal Investigators:
Elizabeth Crais, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences
Steve Reznick, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology
Linda Watson, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences
Lauren Turner Brown, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center
Recent research on genetics and early development allows for the identification of infants and toddlers that may be at risk for later diagnosis of various developmental disabilities including autism. Early identification then presents opportunities to work with these young children and their families during a
critical period in development. The Early Development Project, funded by Autism Speaks, seeks to address issues of both early identification and early intervention and has two primary aims:
- To screen 12-month-old infants in central North Carolina to identify those that may be at high risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism or other developmental disability, and
- To compare effects of an intensive 6-month relationship-focused intervention to a community services-referral condition, using a randomized controlled study.
The initial screening is accomplished at 12 months of age using the First Year Inventory (FYI), a parent report measure developed by our research team at UNC. The FYI is designed to identify risk factors in two important domains of development: Social-
Communication skills and Sensory-Regulatory functions.
Following the initial screening, parents of infants with elevated risk scores on the FYI are invited to participate with their child in a comprehensive developmental assessment at our laboratory at UNC.
Following this assessment, eligible families (those for whom symptoms of concern are verified in their child) are invited to participate in a 6 month early intervention study. Families are randomly assigned to receive either Adapted Responsive Teaching (ART) intervention or a referral to standard community-based services. ART is a home-based, parent-mediated intervention that is based on a relationship-focused approach. It is adapted from the Responsive Teaching approach originally developed by Mahoney and MacDonald (2004). In the ART intervention, skilled therapists assist parents in recognizing pivotal milestones and processes in their infant, and then coach parents on responsive techniques to promote optimal development. Desired outcomes of the intervention include changes in cognitive abilities, social-communication, sensory-regulatory functions, and adaptive behavior.
Follow-up assessments are completed with all families enrolled in the treatment study. These assessments are conducted at the end of the 6 month intervention period, and again when each child reaches 30 months of age to determine developmental gains and diagnostic outcomes in both the ART and community services-referral groups.
If you would like to learn more about this research, please contact the Project Coordinator, Christene Tashjian, at tashjian@med.unc.edu
