The 7-year-long study found that parents needed to be taught by clinicians how to use psychological strategies in their everyday lives, not just at a clinic.
Researchers, led by Professor Amy Wetherby, director of the Autism Institute at Florida State, used their specialized methodology and taught families to work with their children 20 to 25 hours a week in their everyday activities — not only play but also meals and snacks, caregiving, family chores — and taught them how to bring their children into that activity.
They tried to help parents make interactions fun and fruitful learning moments. But they also taught the parents how to push their child — because their child has autism, and they are finding these children at this very critical moment when their brain is more able to learn. If the parent can start early, then they are more likely to change the child’s trajectory of learning for the rest of their life.
Typical strategies which parents are taught include encouraging toddlers to imitate others since this is one of the keys to learning.
This treatment model teaches parents to support their child’s learning during everyday activities, and researchers have documented that the children improved their developmental level, social communication skills and autism symptoms.
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Source material from PSY Blog