Parent-Mediated Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

In this Cochrane systematic review, the Cochrane Collaborative found that parent-mediated early interventions have a positive impact on interactions between children with autism and their parents. The review included 17 randomized controlled trials in which interventions delivered by parents were compared with:

• No treatment or local services 
• Alternative child‐centered interventions like attending nursery school 
• Other parent‐delivered interventions 

Researchers found that parent-mediated interventions may improve some outcomes, including the child’s understanding of language and severity of autism characteristics. But other outcomes, like children’s adaptive skills and parent stress, did not change.