Training Respite Care Providers in the P.L.A.Y. Project Intervention for Autism

The P.L.A.Y. Project is a practical application of DIR (Developmental, Individual-differences and Relationship). Richard Solomon and his group have trained nearly 200 therapists and teachers in 70 agencies across 22 states to train parents to implement the P.L.A.Y. Project with children. This proposal is to collaborate with Lansing Area Parents Respite Center to train their staff of respite care providers in the P.L.A.Y. Project techniques. By training respite care providers they will improve engagement and interaction with the children that they work with. the applicant proposes to train Lansing Area Parents Respite Center's staff of 40 respite care providers using eight weekly educational modules each lasting two hours and then train 10 of those individuals more in depth using video supervision and coaching. This is a pilot project to develop a new model for respite care for children with autism spectrum disorders. If this pilot is shown to be feasible, the new model could be disseminated to respite agencies nationally, making the respite care system a part of the solution for treating autism spectrum disorders.