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Facilitating Toddlers’ Social Communication from Within the Parent-Child Relationship: Application of Family-Centered Early Intervention and Mediated Learning Principles

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Handbook of Parent-Implemented Interventions for Very Young Children with Autism

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

Two complementary theoretical orientations, family-centered early intervention and mediated learning, provide guidance for parent-mediated intervention for toddlers on the autism spectrum. Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families has evolved toward a set of practices that are family-centered, relationship-based, situated in natural environments, and embedded in natural experiences. Mediated learning emphasizes competency-oriented principles that promote “learning to learn” through focusing, organizing and planning, giving meaning, encouraging, and expanding. This chapter describes the integration of early intervention principles within a mediated learning framework to cultivate developmentally important social communication competencies for toddlers with autism. The aim of this approach is to embed relationship-based learning in naturally occurring interactions and to build on prior learning and personal interests as a means of promoting learner self-efficacy, motivation, and active engagement in the social learning process. This integrated framework provides a structure to guide both parent and toddler learning by actively facilitating parents’ conceptual understanding and confidence for supporting toddler social engagement.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of our research colleagues Samuel L. Odom, Kathleen M. Baggett, Penny Githens, Stacia Mitchell, and Martha Lee. The conceptual framework for this chapter evolved in part through research on the Joint Attention Mediated Learning project with funding support from the Institute for Education Sciences, US Department of Education, #R324A120291.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Hannah H. Schertz & Kathryn Horn

Authors
  1. Hannah H. Schertz
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Correspondence to Hannah H. Schertz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Autism and Related Disorders, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Michael Siller

  2. Division of Autism and Related Disorders, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Lindee Morgan

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Schertz, H.H., Horn, K. (2018). Facilitating Toddlers’ Social Communication from Within the Parent-Child Relationship: Application of Family-Centered Early Intervention and Mediated Learning Principles. In: Siller, M., Morgan, L. (eds) Handbook of Parent-Implemented Interventions for Very Young Children with Autism. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90994-3_9

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