Participants
All 13 children (9 male) met criteria for “autism spectrum disorder”
on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) and were 3-5 years old
(M = 4.27 years) at enrollment. Eight were White, 3 Asian, 1
Black, and 1 White/Black; all identified as Non-Hispanic. The average
Early Learning composite raw score on the Mullen Scales of Early
Learning (MSEL) was 121.3 (SD = 35.4, range = 68.0-166.0; N =
12). The average score on the CARS-2 was 37.0 (SD = 6.5, range =
30.0-50.0), with scores from 30-37 indicating mild to moderate symptoms
and scores from 38-60 indicating severe autism symptoms. Data were
collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.