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Augmenting Caregiver Responsiveness: An Intervention Proposal for Youngsters with Autism in Brazil

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Abstract

Language disorders that affect children with autism spectrum disorder can bring significant damage to their overall development. Research shows that the best treatment practices for this population are those that start early, have active parental collaboration and are held in natural milieu. In Brazil, early intervention programs are typically held in clinical environments and rarely involve parents as intervention agents. With autism becoming a high-incidence disability, diagnosed early in life, it is paramount that alternative forms of treatment be introduced in the country. The general purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a parent-guided intervention model with Brazilian families. The participants included two mothers and their 3 year old sons, who were diagnosed with autism. Outcome measures included estimates of caregiver responsive language input and children’s communication turns evaluated during home interactions. The results indicated that both dyads increased their levels of responsiveness in, at least, one routine following treatment. Implications of the findings are discussed considering cultural variables.

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Notes

  1. Since 1989, all Brazilian people have been entitled to free health care at primary, secondary, and tertiary level through a national health system funded by taxes and social contributions (Victora et al. 2011).

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the families that participated in this project. Our warmest gratitude is extended to Dr. Helen McConachie, Dr. Luigi Girolametto and Dr. Thomas Scruggs for their rich contributions. We additionally thank the financial support provided by Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES- Brazil), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq – Brazil) and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Antônio Madruga 1982 Apt. 1304, Capim Macio, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59082-120, Brazil

    Débora R. P. Nunes, Eliana R. Araújo, Elizabeth Walter, Rute Soares & Camila Mendonça

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  1. Débora R. P. Nunes
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  2. Eliana R. Araújo
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  3. Elizabeth Walter
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  4. Rute Soares
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  5. Camila Mendonça
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Débora R. P. Nunes.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 1.

Table 1 Intervention strategies used in the program
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Appendix 2

See Table 2.

Table 2 Description of the intervention program
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Nunes, D.R.P., Araújo, E.R., Walter, E. et al. Augmenting Caregiver Responsiveness: An Intervention Proposal for Youngsters with Autism in Brazil. Early Childhood Educ J 44, 39–49 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0677-y

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