This meta-analysis synthesizes gains in communication and relative lack of gains made in speech across the PECS literature for children with ASD. Concerns about maintenance and generalization are identified. Emerging evidence of potential preintervention child characteristics is discussed. Phase IV was identified as a possibly influential program characteristic for speech outcomes.

Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are underrepresented in both early intervention and research. However, fathers have unique interaction styles that make important contributions to the language and symbolic play development of typically developing children. Fathers may make similar contributions to the development of their children with ASD, who struggle with social-communicative deficits, particularly in the areas of language and symbolic play. This article provides a theoretical rationale for enhancing father—child involvement in early autism intervention that may lead to improved outcomes in child communication and symbolic play and have cascading benefits for families in reducing stress and enhancing coping mechanisms. To support this rationale, systematic reviews of the literature were conducted to (a) identify the extent of father involvement in parent training programs for children with autism, (b) identify the contributions of parents to the symbolic play outcomes of their children with ASD and other disabilities, and (c) examine differences in stress and coping experienced by mothers and fathers of children with ASD. Finally, possible barriers to father participation in early autism intervention are discussed and recommendations are offered for making parent-implemented early intervention for children with ASD more amenable to fathers.

Purpose In this observational study, we examined the interactions of 16 young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents to investigate (a) differences in verbal responsiveness used by fathers and mothers in interactions with their children with ASD and (b) concurrent associations between the language skills of children with ASD and the verbal responsiveness of both fathers and mothers. Method Parent verbal responsiveness was coded from video recordings of naturalistic parent–child play sessions using interval-based coding. Child language skills were measured by the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002). Results For both fathers and mothers, parent verbal responsiveness was positively associated with child language skills. Mothers' responsiveness was also significantly associated with child cognition. After controlling for child cognition, fathers' verbal responsiveness continued to be significantly related to child language skills. Conclusions Although other studies have documented associations between mothers' responsiveness and child language, this is the 1st study to document a significant concurrent association between child language skills of children with ASD and the verbal responsiveness of fathers. Findings of this study warrant the inclusion of fathers in future research on language development and intervention to better understand the potential contributions fathers may make to language growth for children with ASD over time as well as to determine whether coaching fathers to use responsive verbal strategies can improve language outcomes for children with ASD.

In this observational study, the concurrent relationships between the verbal and play responsiveness of 16 mothers and fathers and the object play skills of 16 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) were investigated. First, the frequencies of children's play at four levels (i.e., exploratory, relational, functional, and symbolic) across unsupported, motherchild, and father-child play conditions were compared. Next, relationships between mothers' and fathers' verbal responsiveness and the object play skills of their children with ASD were examined. Finally, relationships between parents' play responsiveness and child object play skills were also examined. The results revealed several key findings. Children in the study tended to engage in more relational play with mothers than in unsupported play or play with fathers. For both fathers and mothers, use of responsive verbal behaviors was strongly correlated with higher level object play; however, use of responsive play behaviors was correlated with higher level object play only for fathers. The findings provide a foundation for longitudinal investigations to examine the associations between parental responsive strategies and child play and other developmental outcomes across time as well as for intervention studies to evaluate the efficacy of targeting parent responsiveness to children's play as an intervention strategy for young children with ASD.

Despite an emphasis on identifying evidence-based practices among researchers and using evidence-based practices among professionals in the field of education, there are still problems with uptake and implementation in real-world settings. This lack of diffusion of practices is evident in educational programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One solution is to use an iterative process to develop interventions in which researchers work in collaboration with the end users to test and refine interventions. However, there are very few guidelines for developing feasible and effective interventions through these iterative processes. This article provides a description of the iterative process used to develop the Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) intervention, a supplemental program designed for public preschool classrooms serving students with ASD, and examples of how data from the sequence of iterative design studies shaped the intervention development. The research team offers guidelines for other researchers looking to engage in intervention development using an iterative process in the context of partnerships with end users, including suggestions for planning and executing an intervention development grant.