Parent Factors Related to Social Intervention Outcomes: Examining Immediate and Delayed Responders

The purpose of this study was to explore several family-related factors that may be associated with treatment response to an evidence-based social communication intervention targeting preschoolers with disabilities or at-risk. We used multilevel modeling to conduct retrospective analyses of data collected across a series of single-case intervention studies. Forty-six preschoolers participated in the study. The results of the positive peer interactions analyses indicated that children from married, separated, or widowed homes and children with mothers with high maternal education levels tended to interact more positively with their peers and decreased in their amount of play verbalizations over time relative to children whose parents were divorced or had low maternal education levels. Similar data patterns were found for both the immediate responders (e.g., children who make immediate progress once an intervention program has begun) and delayed responders (e.g., children who make changes in behavior after receiving a few or several intervention sessions).