“THOMAS” Training: An Early Years Intervention for Children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Layperson Summary:

The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autism Spectrum (THOMAS) is a training program for teachers and families that is used in the United Kingdom (UK).

This paper looked to see whether THOMAS training is able to help children with autism in the long term. The course teaches theories behind autism, as well as ideas for the classroom and family life. The authors found that people who get THOMAS training keep and practice the skills learned in THOMAS training for a long time. In fact the study found that a year after getting the training, the teachers and family members felt better able to practice the ideas of THOMAS training. The authors think that this is because they have had a year to practice the ideas of THOMAS training.

Scientific Abstract