Evaluation of the Social ABCs in Israel

Pilot Evaluation of the Social ABCs Parent-Mediated Intervention for Autistic Toddlers in Israel

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Social ABCs program for young autistic children and their parents. The study will also explore predictors of treatment success and child outcomes.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does the Social ABCs program help children use more words and communicate better?
• Does the program help parents feel more confident and less stressed?
• Which children and parents benefit most from the program?

Participants will:

• Join a 6-week Social ABCs program with weekly group and individual coaching sessions
• Complete assessments before and after the program to see how their child and family are doing
• Take part in short video-recorded play sessions to see how communication changes over time

Inclusion Criteria:

• children who met diagnostic criteria for autism according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), established by independent gold-standard assessments by both a psychologist and a physician (i.e., child psychiatrist, developmental pediatrician, or child neurologist)
• diagnosis received before 30 months of age.
• full-term birth (36-42 weeks gestation) with birth weight >2500 grams

Exclusion Criteria:

• identifiable neurological, genetic, or severe sensory/motor conditions
• attending a special education kindergarten
• participating in a concurrent parent-mediated intervention.