Parents’ application of mediated learning principles as predictors of toddler social initiations

Oct 15, 2026

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Parental use of mediated learning principles for promoting early social learning in preverbal toddlers with autism remains underreported, limiting understanding of what shapes early social competence. This study examined links between parents’ mediated learning practices and unprompted initiation of joint attention in 119 toddlers with autism. Postintervention videos of parent–child interaction assessed parents’ mediation and children’s joint attention initiation. Results showed significant differences versus controls and that parental success predicted gains. The strongest individual predictors were Giving Meaning and Encouraging also showing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Lay abstract

Keywords

Parent-implemented interventions and research gap

Foundational social communication: initiating joint attention

Original Article Parents’ application of mediated learning principles as predictors of toddler social initiations Hannah H Schertz 1, Xinyue Liu 1, Samuel L Odom2 and Kathleen M Baggett3 Autism 2022, Vol. 26(6) 1536–1549 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/13623613211061128](DOI: 10.1177/13623613211061128)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/13623613211061128)[journals.sagepub.com/home/aut](journals.sagepub.com/home/aut) Abstract How parents support social learning at the preverbal level for toddlers with autism is rarely reported, limiting the field’s understanding of factors that may influence early development of social competency. As a central challenge in autism that is resistant to intervention, preverbal social initiating is an important indicator of social motivation. This study explored parents’ application of mediated learning principles. Mediated learning theory is based on active engagement in the learning process or “learning to learn” and the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention applied the principles to child and parent learning. The investigation explored associations between parents’ application of mediated learning principles with unprompted initiation of joint attention for 119 toddlers with autism. Postintervention videos of unstructured parent–child interaction were used to analyze parents’ application of the principles and child initiation of joint attention. Significant differences were found between intervention and control conditions in parents’ mediation of child learning. In a multiple regression analysis of associations between parents’ application of the principles and toddler initiation of joint attention, parents’ success in applying mediated learning principles predicted toddlers’ initiation of joint attention gains. Considered individually, the strongest predictor of initiation of joint attention was the principle Giving Meaning with the principle Encouraging also showing significance. Lay abstract Little is known about what parents can do to promote initiating joint attention for their toddlers with autism. Initiating joint attention is important because it is an indicator of social motivation and is associated with later communication ability. In this study, parents applied mediated learning principles to help their toddlers engage with them socially. The principles included helping their child focus on social interaction, giving meaning to the social elements of interaction (and de-emphasizing nonsocial elements), and helping their toddlers understand their own social ability by encouraging. At the end of the intervention period, we compared two groups. One group received the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention and the other received community-based early intervention services. We found that the Joint Attention Mediated Learning participants applied mediated learning principles more often than the other group. Then, we explored how parents’ application of mediated learning principles related to toddler initiating joint attention and found that parents who were successful in applying the principles had toddlers who were more likely to show initiating joint attention. Our findings indicate that the mediated learning process shows promise as a way to promote early social learning, although other elements of the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention, such as actively engaging parents in the learning process, may have also contributed to both child and parent learning. Keywords autism spectrum disorders, family functioning and support, interventions—psychosocial/behavioral, preschool children, social cognition and social behavior Parent-implemented interventions for toddlers with autism have recently emerged from an understanding of parent– child interaction as the first conduit through which social learning naturally occurs. Although

FAQs

What question does the study address about toddlers with autism?

It examines whether parents’ application of mediated learning principles predicts toddlers’ unprompted initiation of joint attention.

How were parents’ mediated learning principles evaluated?

Postintervention videos of unstructured parent–child interactions were used to analyze how parents applied the mediated learning principles.

Which mediated learning principles were the strongest individual predictors?

Individually, the strongest predictor was Giving Meaning, with Encouraging also showing significance.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Bulrr