Adapting the ‘Red Light, Purple Light’ Intervention for Young Autistic Children: An Exploratory Sequential Design

The prevalence of autism has been rapidly increasing whereas evidence-based interventions to promote autistic children’s self-regulation are still extremely limited. Compared to their typically developing peers, autistic children employ fewer effective and adaptive coping strategies (Jahromi et al., 2013), which impedes their ability to naturally enhance self-regulation skills. While many intervention programs have been designed for neurotypical children, there is a notable lack of established programs specifically tailored for autistic children. However, research has identified self-regulation as a protective factor crucial for the development of multiple skills(e.g., DeLucia et al., 2022; Nucifora & Walker, 2021), underscoring the importance of targeted training in this area. The proposed study will adapt a preexisting intervention (Red Light, Purple Light, RLPL; Tominey & McClelland,2011) for use by practitioners with young autistic children. Data from two focus groups will guide the adaptation process to ensure its suitability and efficacy with this population. The adapted intervention’s preliminary efficacy will be evaluated using a single-case multiple-probe design with four child-peer small groups. This study will allow researchers and practitioners to gain valuable insights into strategies for enhancing self-regulation in autistic children. The findings from this study will help advance the field by increasing the availability of tailored interventions for self-regulation in autistic children.