title: Preschool Deployment of Evidence-Based Social Communication Intervention: JASPER in the Classroom.
abstract: Few research-developed early intervention models have been deployed to and tested in real world preschool programs. In this study, teaching staff implemented a social communication modularized intervention, JASPER, in their daily program. Sixty-six preschool children with autism in twelve classrooms (12 teachers) were randomized to receive immediate JASPER training (IT) or were waitlisted (WL) for 3 months with a 1-month follow up. Measures of core deficits (initiations of joint engagement, joint attention gestures and language, play skills) and standardized cognitive measures were improved for IT over WL children. IT teachers achieved and maintained high fidelity. Teachers can implement evidence-based interventions with significant improvements in core deficits of their children with ASD.
authors.affiliation: California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA. ychang27@calstatela.edu.
authors.forename: Ya-Chih
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3411-1123
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Shire
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gelfand
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kasari
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology; D011897:Random Allocation; D012574:Schools / Q000639:trends*; D012919:Social Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Implementation; JASPER; Joint attention; Preschool; Teachers