title: The impact of the Advancing Social-communication And Play (ASAP) intervention on preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: This study evaluates an intervention targeting social-communication and play skills (Advancing Social-communication And Play; ASAP) implemented by school staff in a public preschool setting. With increases in enrollment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in school systems, establishing the effectiveness and feasibility of interventions implemented in school settings is important. In clinical settings, interventions targeting social-communication and play behaviors have increased these skills and impacted later language abilities. Results of this single-case design study indicated the ASAP intervention had a positive impact on social-communication and play skills for three preschoolers with ASD. All participants showed either increases in frequency or more stability in targeted behaviors. Social validity results provide additional support for the use of ASAP with preschoolers with ASD.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. jdykstra@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dykstra
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Linda R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Crais
authors.forename: Grace T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Baranek
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology*; D012574:Schools