Projects

Even though ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a genetic basis, the quality of parent-child relationships and particularly the degree to which parents can tune in to their child with his or her unique and specific characteristics can play an important role in promoting children's development. The vast majority of studies on parent-child interaction in ASD focused on mother-child relationships, and in this study we widen the lens and examine mother-father-child interactions. We do this using the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP) procedure developed by Elisabeth Fivaz at the University of Lausanne in which we observe the family interacting in a semi-structured triadic play observation. Here are some of the questions we ask in this project:

· Can families with a child on the Autism spectrum establish cooperative interactions like those we see in families of Typically Developing children?

· What is the impact of children's cognitive development and the severity of their symptoms on family interactions?

· What is the interplay between dyadic, parent-child interactions and triadic, mother-father-child interactions in predicting developmental outcomes in children with ASD?

Four PhD dissertations are part of this project.

· Dr. Yael Maccabi: Parental coordinated support of the child during triadic interactions predicts Joint Attention and language gains in children with Autism. Read more...

· Michal Slonim: Coparenting and resolution of the diagnosis among parents of preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Their contributions to the Family alliance.

· Lior Hamburger: Social Skills of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Contribution of the Family Alliance. Read more...

· Michal Mottes-Peleg: The Development of Social Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Contribution of Maternal and Paternal Sensitivity.

The project also yielded many MA theses.

· Sharon Kairys: Joint Attention and Symptom Severity among Pre-School Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more...

· Sapir Bar: Maternal and paternal emotional availability in autism: Associations with parent and child characteristics. Read more...

· Mor Binyamin: Resolution of the Diagnosis Among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The contribution of Co-Parenting. Read more...

· Daisy Castilia: Parental resolution with child's ASD diagnosis: association with changes in adaptive behavior over a one year. Read more...

· Shira Terner: The Broad Autism Phenotype in Parents of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with Children's Autism Characteristics. Read more...

· Carmel Keren: The Social Skills of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with ASD characteristics. Read more...

· Rony Lottan: The associations between the classroom environment and the social skills of preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more...

· Si Ben Yehuda: Joint Attention and Social Skills with the Peer Group of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more...

· Chen Kalir: Co-Parenting and Emotional Well-Being among Parents of Autistic Children. Read more...

Although the benefits of early interventions that include a parent training component on later outcomes of children with ASD have been reported, studies have primarily focused on child outcomes and intervention efficacy, and did not focus on parent-child interactions, the putative mechanism supporting children’s gains. Specifically, changes in children’s responsiveness and involvement of their parents and in parental sensitivity have rarely been examined and will therefore be the focus of this study. In addition, since parental insightfulness, the ability to see things from child point of view, helps parents adjust their behavior based on accurate reading of the child's signals, the study will examine the moderating effects of insightfulness.

Read more...

When we embarked on this study there was a growing body of research that highlighted the importance of mother-father-child interactions in families of toddlers, but little was known about the internal processes underlying parenting in such interactions. Dyadic studies of parent-child relationships have focused on parental insightfulness as promoting sensitive parent-child interactions, and the goal of the present study was to examine whether insightfulness would similarly be associated with cooperative triadic interactions. To address this question seventy-seven mother-father-toddler triads were observed in the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP) procedure to assess family cooperation, and the insightfulness of each parent was assessed using the Insightfulness Assessment, a video replay procedure in which parents are interviewed regarding their children’s thoughts and feelings after watching short video clips of the children. The results showed that families in which both parents were insightful had higher Family Cooperation and Co-parenting scores compared to families in which only one parent was insightful and families in which neither parent was insightful.

The study was based on Dr. Inbal Marcu's dissertation and was done in collaboration with Prof. Nina Koren-Karie. To read full article

When we began this study it was relatively well-established that about 50% of young children with ASD establish secure attachments to their mothers, but very little was known about the role of parenting in promoting secure attachment in this group. We proposed that insightfulness, the capacity to see and feel things from the child's point of view, would be associated with secure attachment in children with ASD in the same way as in Typcially Developing children. An additional focus was on the importance of the mothers coming to terms (or "resolving") the diagnosis of a developmental disability in the child. Finally, we sought to establish that the effects of Insightfulness and Resolution on children's security are mediated through mothers observed sensitivity. The findings largely supported our hypotheses and are summarized in the papers below.

The study team included Prof. Nina Koren-Karie, Prof. Nurit Yirmiya, Dr. Smadar Dolev and many MA students.

Related Publications:

Levi, G., Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie^, N., Ariav-Paraira, I., Gal, N., & Yirmiya, N. (2020). Disrupted Maternal Communication and Attachment Disorganization in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Attachment and Human Development, 22:5, 568-581. View

Dolev, S., Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie, N., & Yirmiya, N. (2014). Early attachment and maternal insightfulness predict educational placement of children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8, 958 – 967. View

Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie, N., Dolev, S., & Yirmiya, N. (2012). Maternal Sensitivity mediates the link between Maternal Insightfulness/Resolution and Child-Mother attachment: The case of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Attachment and Human Development, 14, 567 – 584. View

Marco, I., Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie, N., Dolev, S., & Yirmiya, N. (2009). Symbolic play and attachment in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 1321-1328.

Dolev, S., Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie, N., & Yirmiya, N. (2009). Emotional Availability in mother-child interaction: The case of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Parenting: Science and Practice, 9, 183-197. View

Oppenheim, D., Koren-Karie, N., Dolev, S., & Yirmiya, N. (2009). Maternal insightfulness and Resolution of the Diagnosis are related to secure attachment in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Child Development, 80, 519 – 527. View

Koren-Karie, N., Oppenheim, D., Dolev, S., & Yirmiya, N. (2009). Mothers of securely attached children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are more sensitive than mothers of insecurely attached children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 643-650. View