Project Impact: Examining Mothers' Scaffolding Techniques during Play in Toddlers with ASD

Background: Vygotsky (1962) coined the phrase “scaffolding”, which occurs when an individual is provided enough support to learn (i.e., progressing from actual level to potential level of development). Play is an important learning platform for children, in which they have opportunities to both learn and practice skills (e.g., language, social, etc.). Considering scaffolding in the context of play, parents’ involvement in children’s actual developmental level could foster growth toward children’s potential developmental level. Children with (ASD), given frequently reported delays in play skills, could benefit from parents scaffolding their play.

Researchers have demonstrated that parents of children with typical development scaffold the development of play beginning at 12 months through the preschool years using the following techniques: (1) comments, (2) requests, and (3) prompts (Woolley & Tullos, 2008). Currently, no research has examined these scaffolding techniques in toddlers with ASD.

Objectives: The aims of the current study were to examine: (1) mothers’ scaffolding techniques (i.e., comments, requests, and prompts) during mother-toddler play samples, and 2) toddlers’ social engagements (i.e., attention, nonverbal, and verbal responses) to mothers’ scaffolding techniques. 

Methods: The current study was a single-subject A-B intervention design that implemented a social-communication intervention (i.e., Project ImPACT: Improving Parents As Communication Teachers) for toddlers with ASD (n = 3; 2 males and 1 female; M = 26.5 months, SD = 3.8; range = 22.3 – 29.8 months at start of intervention). Toddlers and their parents participated in 5 baseline sessions and 12 intervention sessions and attended 2 group sessions each week during 9 consecutive weeks. During the parent-group intervention sessions, mothers learned Project ImPACT teaching techniques. Trained coders measured: 1) the use of mothers’ scaffolding techniques, and 2) toddlers’ social engagements in scaffolding techniques from video recordings of each mother-toddler play sample. 

Results:  Simulation Modeling Analysis (SMA) was used to compare frequencies of behaviors (i.e., mothers’ scaffolding techniques and toddlers’ social engagements) from baseline to intervention sessions. The following highlights the significant changes for each participant in level vector change from baseline compared to level vector change from intervention:

P₁ comments: r = .902**; P₁ requests: r = -.925**; P₁ prompts: r = .775*

P₂ comments: r = .878**; P₂ requests: r = .873**; P₂ prompts: r = .856**

P₃ comments: r = .384; P₃ requests: r = -.788*; P₃ prompts: r = .719*

Although findings were individually interpreted for each participant, overall results from Simulation Modeling Analysis (SMA) showed that mothers’ scaffolding techniques changed significantly from baseline to intervention. Additionally, toddlers’ social engagements to these techniques significantly improved from baseline to intervention. Toddlers’ social engagements for each scaffolding techniques will be presented. Note. *p < .05, **p < .005. 

Conclusions: These findings suggest that Project ImPACT was an effective intervention in training parents with useful scaffolding techniques. Secondly, findings highlight the importance of scaffolding children’s actual development to lead to their potential development. Overall, these data emphasize the essential role parents fulfill as early interventionists for their toddlers.