The JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation) Intervention in Down Syndrome: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) often need support building language, socialization, and regulation, yet few receive behavioral intervention for this. The Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) intervention holds promise as a clinician-caregiver-mediated approach. AIMS: The aims of this pilot study were to (1) describe the behavioral phenotype of children with DS (2) quantify change in child engagement following JASPER receipt, (3) measure caregiver adoption of JASPER strategies, and (4) generate hypotheses and directions for future research. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Sixteen toddlers with DS and their caregivers enrolled in the study. Dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: immediate intervention or waitlist control. During the COVID-19 pandemic, intervention was delivered remotely. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Caregivers learned to implement JASPER strategies and pilot data suggest improvements in joint engagement and regulation during play. Case series data show individual heterogeneity of intervention response. Remote intervention delivery may be associated with greater participant retention. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: JASPER may be a viable treatment option to improve joint engagement and emotion regulation in young children with DS. Parents appear receptive to learning and implementing JASPER strategies at home. Remote JASPER delivery may improve participation in research or treatment programs.

Sequential Associations Between Caregiver Talk and Child Play in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development.

This study examined sequential associations between child play and caregiver talk in 98 caregiver-child dyads (Mmental age  = 14 months). Fifty dyads included a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Analyses revealed sequential associations between child play and caregiver follow-in (FI) utterances (utterances related to the child's attentional focus) were stronger in the ASD as compared to the typically developing (TD) group. FI utterances were more likely to elicit functional play than caregiver-focused utterances, and more so in the ASD group. Across groups, FI directives were more likely to elicit functional play than FI comments. These findings have important implications for research involving caregiver-child play as an early intervention context for children with ASD.