There are many treatments that claim to be effective for children with autism; however many of these treatments have not been investigated using scientifically rigorous methodology. A variety of developmentally based parent delivered interventions are gaining popularity as a type of treatment parents utilize to improve symptoms related to their child's diagnosis of autism. Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE)is a agency that provides a developmentally based parent delivered intervention in the community. Currently, this parent training program has not been evaluated using scientific methodology. Investigation into this community delivered treatment and its effectiveness to improve social and communication deficits will aid clinicians in providing better care for children with autism.
The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a parent training program in the treatment of social and communication deficits in children with autism. Specifically, this study will evaluate a developmentally based parent delivered intervention in the community developed by Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE).