Caregiver coaching in South Africa to support young autistic children
Official title: Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11377098 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project trains local early-childhood workers to coach caregivers so they can help autistic children (around 0–11 years) build communication, behavior, and daily-living skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $297,000 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH127573-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11377098 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young autistic children (early childhood, up to about 11 years) and their caregivers who are served by local Early Childhood Development programs in South Africa are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People outside the target age range, caregivers who cannot attend local coaching through participating programs, or individuals whose needs require specialist-only services may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
This project adapted a caregiver coaching program (an NDBI) to fit South African languages and communities. Non-specialist early childhood development practitioners will be trained to coach caregivers in home and community settings. The team will run a type 1 hybrid effectiveness‑implementation trial inside existing education services to see how the coaching works in real-world clinics and classrooms. Families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds will be included so the approach can be scaled across similar settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, caregivers could gain practical skills to improve their child's communication, behavior, and overall quality of life while increasing access to early intervention in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have gone: Caregiver-delivered NDBI approaches have shown benefits in higher-resource settings and early pilots in South Africa were promising, but large-scale delivery by non-specialists is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Franz, Lauren — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Franz, Lauren
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa for Young Children
A Duke University-led project in South Africa aims to help young children with autism by training caregivers to deliver proven coaching strategies through non-specialist providers.
-
Understanding how Latino caregivers engage with early autism services
This project looks at how Latino families engage with early intervention services for children with autism to improve access and quality of care.
-
Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa
A Duke University-led project helps parents and non-specialist workers in South Africa use caregiver-supported autism strategies to help young children with autism.
-
Understanding how caregivers perceive infant cries to identify early signs of autism
This study is looking at how parents and caregivers understand and react to their babies' cries to see if certain sounds might help spot early signs of autism, with the goal of improving support for children who may be at risk.
-
Helping Latino caregivers get the most from early autism services
This project works with Latino families of very young children with autism to strengthen caregiver involvement and improve the quality of early intervention services.
-
Caregiver coaching for young autistic children in South Africa
This project trains local early childhood workers to coach families so young autistic children in South Africa get practical, culturally adapted support at home.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.