A study has suggested that parents, who receive a video therapy for babies at family risk of autism during their first year of life, may help their kids in reducing the severity of developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.
This study, published today in the journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, is the first of its kind to work with the babies who have an autistic sibling and are therefore, at higher risk of developing the condition.
The results revealed that the families, who received the video therapy showed improvement in early emerging behaviours associated with autism, compared to those who did not receive the therapy.
"If this intervention continues to show improvements in such larger studies, then the method would have real potential use for families at the point of early concern, or if their child is genetically at risk of developing autism," said lead study author Jonathan Green from the University of Manchester in UK.
They aimed to reduce these early symptoms and lower the likelihood of the child developing difficulties associated with autism later on in childhood.
Of the 54 families, who participated in the study, 28 were randomly allocated to receive a minimum of six home-based visits from a therapist, who used video-feedback to help the parents understand and respond to their baby's individual communication style to improve infant attention, communication, early language development, and social engagement.
These newborns received the intervention for five months, from the age of nine to 14 months.
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Assessments were made from the end of treatment at age 15 months, at 27 months and then at 39 months of age.
The findings suggested a noticeable positive impact on parent-infant interactions. They showed improvement in early emerging behaviours associated with autism, compared to those who did not receive the therapy.