About this trial
This project will look at Milieu Teaching (i.e., a language intervention) that encourages looking to audiovisual speech cues (Milieu Teaching-AV) for infants with autistic older siblings (Baby Sibs), who are highly likely be diagnosed with autism or developmental language disorder (DLD), compared to Milieu Teaching alone (Milieu Teaching-NoAV). This study will specifically look at whether Milieu Teaching-AV (compared to Milieu Teaching-NoAV) results in (a) increased looking towards caregivers' faces, (b) increased communicative behaviors and language skill, and (c) increased engagement with the caregiver during play. We will also look at caregiver factors, such as their use of strategies and their attitudes toward the intervention they received.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
chronological age of 6-12 months at study entry (±30 days);
an older sibling with an autism diagnosis, confirmed by a detailed developmental interview and administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2); and
monolingual English-speaking household.
Disqualifiers
adverse neurological history;
known genetic condition;
pre-term birth (gestation < 37 weeks); and
caregiver report of a diagnosed vision impairment or hearing loss
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Milieu Teaching-AV
- Milieu Teaching-NoAV
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Collaborator