As practitioners dedicated to enhancing the lives of children with autism, we must continuously seek data-driven approaches to improve our interventions. A recent study titled Empowering Hong Kong Chinese families with autism: A preliminary study of the online Hanen More Than Words Program provides valuable insights into the efficacy of telepractice-delivered parent-implemented interventions.
The study conducted a randomized controlled trial with 22 Chinese families in Hong Kong to evaluate the online Hanen More Than Words (HMTW) program. The findings indicate significant improvements in parent-child attention synchrony, although the treatment effect on children's spontaneous communication was not statistically significant. This suggests that the online HMTW program can be an effective tool for improving parental responsiveness and child communication outcomes, particularly in non-Western cultural contexts.
Key Takeaways for Practitioners
- Parent-Child Attention Synchrony: The intervention group showed significant improvements in parent-child attention synchrony, highlighting the importance of parental involvement in early intervention programs.
- Parental Responsiveness: Although not statistically significant, the study observed small effect sizes in parental responsiveness and use of linguistic facilitation techniques (LFTs), such as imitation and expansion.
- Spontaneous Communication: The study noted a large effect size in children's spontaneous verbal communication, indicating potential long-term benefits of the program.
Implementing the Findings
Practitioners can enhance their skills by incorporating the following strategies based on the study's findings:
- Focus on Parent Training: Emphasize the importance of parent training sessions to improve parent-child attention synchrony and parental responsiveness.
- Use of Telepractice: Leverage telepractice as a viable delivery model, especially in regions with limited access to in-person services.
- Monitor Parental Self-Efficacy: Assess and support parental self-efficacy, as it significantly predicts parental responsiveness post-intervention.
Encouraging Further Research
While the study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the online HMTW program, further research with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up is needed. Practitioners are encouraged to contribute to this growing body of research by conducting similar studies in diverse cultural contexts.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Empowering Hong Kong Chinese families with autism: A preliminary study of the online Hanen More Than Words Program.
