Exploring social network factors impacting the implementation of communication supports designed for minimally verbal autistic preschool children: a study protocol

Autism is a lifelong condition and can lead to particularly severe disability for minimally verbal (MV) children. Prior research suggests that early intervention is critical for autistic children; yet long-term outcomes have been variable. This variability may be due to poor implementation of evidence-based strategies within the child’s community, however research examining this idea is limited. This study protocol aims to see how collaborative dynamics within the team of caregivers can impact intervention effectiveness in MV preschoolers with autism. Using social network analytics, we will be looking into collaboration within and between home and school teams for the adoption of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) strategies. This study will involve 40 MV autistic children from two sites and their respective caregivers/identified providers. We will collect social network data from each child’s parent and preschool teacher to assess collaboration across home, school and community. Data collection will be both quantitative, using social network surveys, and qualitative, using focus groups, to track the social dynamics of adoption and diffusion of AAC knowledge among caregivers, school staff members, community providers and supporters. Our goals include finding an association between team density and the adoption of AAC strategies across settings, identifying barriers to collaboration among home/school team members, and exploratory child outcome analysis. We expect that stronger network collaboration between all caregivers will correlate with a better implementation of AAC strategies and improved child outcomes. We hope that these findings can better inform communication interventions for MV autistic children, enhancing their quality of life and easing the burden of care on loved ones.