Autism Speaks releases new CST Caregiver Quick Tips videos to support parents and caregivers of children with autism

Content adapted from WHO Caregiver Skills Training Program for Families of Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities. (Field Test version)

Parents and caregivers of children with autism have a new tool in their tool box: a video training series to help them support their child’s development at home. 

Based on the in-person World Health Organization (WHO) Caregiver Skills Training (CST) program (Field Test version) – developed with support from Autism Speaks – Autism Speaks created a new Caregiver Quick Tips video series that teaches caregivers how to use play and everyday routines to help their child share activities, expand their communication, learn new skills and more. 

CST has been implemented by WHO in communities around the world where access to autism care, services and information is extremely limited. By empowering caregivers with knowledge and skills, CST provides an evidence-based way to support healthy development for children with developmental disorders who don’t have access to professional autism care. 

As families across the world are spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and many schools remain closed, access to tools and supports for children with autism has been further limited for many families. Online or other digital tools like Caregiver Quick Tips play a critical role in closing the gap in accessing evidence-based strategies for healthy development.

In the first video, Using Play to Promote Engagement, viewers can learn the steps to engage their child in a shared interest using turn-taking and imitation. These early skills are fundamental to creating a routine that can help build new skills over time and in later lessons. 

New videos will be released throughout 2020, each building on previous lessons to support learning new skills through home-based routines and activities.

In addition to finding the videos on the Autism Speaks YouTube channel, they will be integrated into the WHO Caregiver Skills Training eCST platform, which will deliver the full CST program in a virtual learning environment.