Feasibility of a preemptive therapy for Brazilian infants with family history of autism and ADHD

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aims to investigate the preliminary feasibility and acceptability of a pre-emptive intervention for infants with a family history of autism and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Infants with a first-degree relative diagnosed with autism or ADHD are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for these conditions later in childhood. From the first year of life, these infants may also experience a range of developmental difficulties as well as differences in their day-to-day interactions with their caregivers. The pre-emptive iBASIS intervention has shown efficacy in enhancing caregiver-infant interaction and social-communication development in infants with family history or early signs of autism in the UK and Australia, but has not been assessed in lower-resource contexts nor for infants with a family history of ADHD.

METHODS: iBASIS was delivered to nine Brazilian mothers of infants aged 4-13 months with and without a family history of autism/ADHD. Quantitative (number of drop-outs, number of sessions completed) and qualitative (themes developed from interviews with the mothers using reflexive thematic analysis) measures were used to assess feasibility and acceptability of iBASIS.

RESULTS: Eight of the nine mothers completed all iBASIS sessions. Six mothers interviewed described receiving iBASIS as a positive experience with benefits for themselves and their infants consistent with the themes of the therapy. The mothers considered practical aspects of iBASIS to be feasible and challenges associated with completing the intervention surmountable.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide the first preliminary evidence of the good feasibility and acceptability of iBASIS in a non-English-speaking, socioeconomically and culturally diverse context.