Amanda Mossman Steiner

• PhD
• Medical Professional at University of California, Davis

This study investigated interactions between parents and 12-month-old infants at high (HR-SIBS; n = 27) and low (LR-SIBS; n = 14) familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The contributions of parental variables, as well as child’s autism symptom severity and verbal skills, to the parent interaction style were examined. Parents of HR-SIBS e...

Early detection methods for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infancy are rapidly advancing, yet the development of interventions for infants under two years with or at-risk for ASD remains limited. In order to guide research and practice, this paper systematically reviewed studies investigating interventions for infants under 24 months with or at-...

Background: Past studies have consistently found high stability in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during toddler years. However, diagnostic stability has not been examined in current cohorts of toddlers for whom intensive interventions are readily accessible. Moreover, due to tremendous heterogeneity observed within ASD early on,...

Background: Since autism was first described, major difficulties in social interaction have been a defining feature of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Social skills groups are a common intervention for individuals with ASD. Although a frequently recommended practice, the few studies that have addressed the efficacy of social skil...

Presently there is limited research to suggest efficacious interventions for infants at-risk for autism. Pivotal response treatment (PRT) has empirical support for use with preschool children with autism, but there are no reports in the literature utilizing this approach with infants. In the current study, a developmental adaptation of PRT was pilo...

Social deficits remain one of the most difficult areas for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (‘ASD’), especially for those with average or above average cognitive skills. An intervention often used to treat social deficits for these individuals is social skills groups. This review synthesized the results of five randomized controlled trial...

Recent advances in clinical research have made it possible to diagnosis autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as early as the second year of life. The diagnostic process early in development is often complex, and thus, familiarity with the most recent findings in clinical assessment instruments, early symptoms, and developmental trajectories of young chi...

Despite the ubiquitous nature of parent education in autism treatment, relatively few studies directly address how parent education should be conducted. Given that the literature on parental well-being suggests that treatments that facilitate positive parental adaptation to their child’s disability may be beneficial, this study examined the impact...

Participation of parents of children with autism is commonplace in most comprehensive intervention programs, yet, there is limited research relating to the best practices in this area. This article provides an overview of parent education programs for young children with autism and details data-driven procedures which are associated with improved p...

Background: The literature suggests an important relationship between synchronous parent behavior and developmental outcomes for preschoolers with autism (Siller & Sigman, 2002; 2008). Preliminary work from prospective studies reveals differences in levels of parent synchrony beginning in infancy in parent-child dyads of infants who have an older s...

Background: As prospective studies of infant siblings at increased genetic risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) begin to identify infants who show signs of atypical social and communication development within the first year of life (Cassel et al., 2007; Zwaigenbaum et al., 2005), there is a critical need for the investigation of evidence-based t...

Background: The literature documents higher levels of stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to parents of typically developing children and children with other developmental disabilities, with stress levels strongly related to child behavior (e.g., Davis & Carter, 2008). Though it is well-established that siblin...

The present study is the first independent investigation of the Comprehensive Trail Making Test (CTMT; Reynolds, 200223. Reynolds , C. R. , Pearson , N. A. , & Voress , J. K. ( 2002 ). Developmental Test of visual perception, adolescent and adult: Examiner's manual . Austin , TX : PRO-ED . View all references) with both clinical and non-clinical s...

Awe has been defined as an emotional response to perceptually vast stimuli that overwhelm current mental structures, yet facilitate attempts at accommodation. Four studies are presented showing the information-focused nature of awe elicitors, documenting the self-diminishing effects of awe experience, and exploring the effects of awe on the content...

The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) is a commonly used neuropsychological measure that assesses visuospatial processing, planning and visuomotor integration. Using samples of clinically referred (N = 20) and non-clinical (N = 44) adults, the present study examines the psychometric properties of a simple method of scoring organizational approac...