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Teacher Implementation of Joint Attention Intervention in Preschool Classrooms: Fidelity and Context

Kathy Lawton and Connie Kasari

Recent studies suggest that preschool teachers can improve core autism deficits. Implementation fidelity, however, has not been a focus. This study examined the ability of sixteen preschool teachers to implement strategies of a manualized communication intervention targeting the core deficit of joint attention. Before treatment, teachers in both groups used few strategies, but they demonstrated more intervention strategies during individual child and teacher play interactions than in their classrooms. After treatment, teachers in the immediate treatment group used significantly more strategies than the control group with notable differences in their use of strategies in their classrooms. Results also suggest that some strategies may be easier than others for teachers to adopt.