FITT Study

Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers (FITT) is a three-year study (2011-2014) funded by the Maternal and Child Health Research program, a Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examining the impacts of a home-based, parent coaching and education model for families with toddlers on the autism spectrum. The intervention is based on structured teaching principles developed by Division TEACCH and adapted to be developmentally appropriate for toddlers. The study enrolled 60 toddlers and their families across the three-year period, with 40 of those families receiving the FITT intervention, and 20 families receiving services as usual, serving as a control group. We will study the impact of the FITT intervention on both child outcomes, such as developmental and adaptive skills, as well as the impact on family outcomes, such as parent stress and well-being. We are no longer recruiting toddlers and their families for this study.