Caregiver-Implemented Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Coaching Components

Caregiver-implemented intervention, commonly facilitated via coaching, is an increasingly common approach to early intervention for infants and toddlers with or at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present systematic review examines four coaching components across the literature on caregiver-implemented intervention models for children under 36 months with or at risk for ASD. Systematic search procedures resulted in 26 studies for review. Results showed that although most studies addressed building on caregivers’ competence and guided practice, many neglected to address collaborative coaching components, including planning, reflection, and decision making. Less than a quarter of the studies reviewed described incorporating all four coaching components, highlighting remaining gaps in the literature. Implications of our findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.