Effects of a parent-implemented Developmental Reciprocity Treatment Program for children with autism spectrum disorder.
A light 12-week parent reciprocity program can give small boosts in preschool language and repetitive behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mruzek et al. (2019) asked parents of 2- to 6-year-olds with autism to run a 12-week program at home. The program is called Developmental Reciprocity Treatment. Parents learned to play in ways that invite the child to talk back and share toys.
There was no control group. The team simply checked kids before and after the 12 weeks.
What they found
Kids used a few more words and showed a little less hand-flapping or lining up toys. Parents also felt more confident and in control.
The gains were real but small. The authors call them “modest.”
How this fits with other research
Pajareya et al. (2011) ran a similar parent-play study with DIR/Floortime. They used a control group and saw bigger gains in social skills. The difference: Kingkaey’s parents practiced 15 hours a week, while W’s parents had lighter homework.
Burrell et al. (2020) tested group RUBI parent training at the same time. Both studies show parents can learn new moves in about 12 sessions and kids behave better, even when designs are simple.
Ingersoll et al. (2007) taught reciprocity through therapist-led Reciprocal Imitation Training. Kids learned gestures fast. W shifts the teacher role from therapist to parent with similar pay-off.
Why it matters
If you run low-intensity parent coaching, this study says even brief home programs can nudge language and cut repetitive acts. Pair the lessons with heavier practice (like Kingkaew’s 15 h/week) if you want bigger change. Start by teaching one reciprocity game—rolling a car back and forth—and ask parents to do it daily for five minutes. Track new words and stereotypy for four weeks; adjust dose based on progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Developmental approaches to autism treatment aim to establish strong interpersonal relationships through joint play. These approaches have emerging empirical support; however, there is a need for further research documenting the procedures and demonstrating their effectiveness. This pilot study evaluated changes in parent behavior and child autism symptoms following a 12-week Developmental Reciprocity Treatment parent-training program. A total of 22 children with autism spectrum disorder between 2 and 6 years (mean age = 44.6 months, standard deviation = 12.7) and a primary caregiver participated in 12 weekly sessions of Developmental Reciprocity Treatment parent training, covering topics including introduction to developmental approaches, supporting attention and motivation, sensory regulation and sensory-social routines, imitation/building nonverbal communication, functional language development, and turn taking. Results indicated improvement in aspects of parent empowerment and social quality of life. Improvement in core autism symptoms was observed on the Social Responsiveness Scale total score (F(1,19): 5.550, p = 0.029), MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories number of words produced out of 680 (F(1,18): 18.104, p = 0.000), and two subscales of the Repetitive Behavior Scale, Revised (compulsive, p = 0.046 and restricted, p = 0.025). No differences in sensory sensitivity were observed on the Short Sensory Profile. Findings from this pilot study indicate that Developmental Reciprocity Treatment shows promise and suggest the need for future controlled trials of this developmentally based intervention.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318775538