Brief Report: Preliminary feasibility and acceptability of a preemptive therapy to support the early development of infants with family history of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Brazil

Infants with a first-degree relative diagnosed with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (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 preemptive 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. This pilot study assessed the preliminary feasibility and acceptability of iBASIS in a lower-resource context (Brazil) and for infants with family history of ADHD as well as those with family history of autism. iBASIS was delivered to nine Brazilian mothers of infants aged 4-13 months with and without family history of autism/ADHD. Quantitative (number of drop-outs, number sessions completed) and qualitative (themes developed from interviews with the mothers using reflexive thematic analysis) measures were used. Eight of nine mothers completed all iBASIS sessions. Six mothers interviewed described benefits of iBASIS for themselves and their infants that were consistent with the themes of the therapy. These findings indicate good feasibility and acceptability of iBASIS in this Brazilian setting.