An Initial Trial of OPT-In-Early: An Online Training Program for Caregivers of Autistic Children
OPT-In-Early lifts parent know-how but needs more support or time to move child skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers built a free online course called OPT-In-Early. It has 14 short lessons that teach parents how to grow social and communication skills at home.
Parents of autistic children watched videos, tried activities, and got email tips. The team then checked if parents learned more and if kids made gains.
What they found
Parents scored higher on knowledge tests and said they used the new strategies more often.
Child social-communication scores stayed flat after four to six months. The program helped parents, not kids, in this short window.
How this fits with other research
Dai et al. (2021) showed parents liked the same course and finished most modules. The new study moves past likes to hard outcomes.
Wetherby et al. (2018) also ran an online parent-coaching RCT, but they saw toddler gains in just three months. The difference: Wetherby added live coach calls, while OPT-In-Early was self-paced.
Bailey et al. (2022) tried another self-paced online program and found no child gains, matching the null child result here. Together these papers hint that real-time coaching may be needed for quick child change.
Why it matters
You can share OPT-In-Early as a free knowledge boost while you shape a bigger plan. Use it to teach terms and tactics, then layer in live coaching when child progress is the goal.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Online Parent Training in Early Behavioral Intervention (OPT-In-Early) is a self-directed resource for caregivers of autistic children. Sixty-three parent-child dyads from three states in the U.S. were randomized to the OPT-In-Early or Treatment as Usual (TAU) Group. Parents in both groups completed baseline and post-treatment visits, which were targeted for four months apart but allowed to go up to six months. Compared to parents in the TAU group, parents randomized to OPT-In-Early learned more evidence-based intervention principles from baseline to posttreatment and were rated by observers blind to group and time as increasing their use of these strategies during brief semi-structured interactions with their children. Parent participation in OPT-In-Early did not significantly influence children’s social communication as coded from one observation session. Results suggest that parents acquired knowledge and skills in intervention techniques from OPT-In Early. Longer trials may be needed for gains in child behavior.
Autism, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613221142408