Effect of PLAY Project Intervention Program on Children With ASD

Effect of PLAY Project Intervention Program on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multi-center, Randomized Control Study in China

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters (PLAY) Project Home Consultation model to improve parent-child interaction, child development, and autism symptomatology in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in China.

The present multi-center randomized controlled trial will recruit 200 children with ASD aged 18 months to 6 years from 5 hospitals including Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Fuzhou Children's Hospital of Fujian Medical University, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University and Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from 2022.8 to 2023.1.Children who meet the inclusion criteria will be stratified by ASD severity, age and gender and randomly assigned (1:1) to either study group or control group. Using the waitlist-control group design, the study group will receive 12 months of Play Project + Parental Education intervention, the control group receive Parental Education intervention in the first 6 months, and then receive Play Project + Parental Education intervention in the next 6 months. Pre-, 6th month and post- assessments for both groups will be conducted, including Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-Ⅴ), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) for children; Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) for parents, Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (MBRS) and Pivotal Behavior Rating Scale (PBRS).

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age of 18 months to 6 years old at the time of enrollment, no gender requirement;
2. Children who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 5 research centers, meet the diagnostic criteria by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-Ⅴ), and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2).
3. Complete pre-assessments in outpatient clinics, including: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-Ⅴ), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) for children; Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) for parents.
4. Parents agreed to participate in the study provided written informed consent at recruitment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. High functioning ASD children with abnormal social communication but high language level. Language development quotient>85 in GDS;

2. Suffering from:

   1. hereditary diseases, such as Rett syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, trisomy 21 or tuberous sclerosis;
   2. abnormal vision or hearing impairment;
   3. movement disorders, such as cerebral palsy;
   4. epilepsy;

3. Receive 7 hours or more per week of 1:1 intensive intervention, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Parent-Implemented Language training, etc.

4. Parents scoring <90 by SPM, or report being severely depressed by HAMD, will be excluded from the study.