In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jessica Brian, psychologist, senior clinician scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and associate professor at the University of Toronto. A long-time champion of caregiver-mediated interventions, Dr. Brian shares her journey into Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) and her leadership in developing the Social ABCs program. With decades of experience at the intersection of research and clinical practice, Dr. Brian highlights the power of empowering caregivers, listening to parents, and grounding early intervention in meaningful everyday interactions. Dr. Brian and her team continue refining Social ABCs, updating their website with new video content and caregiver-friendly summaries of the latest research. As they expand their reach, the core mission remains unchanged: to empower families, listen deeply to their insights, and support meaningful developmental outcomes through play and connection.

Episode Highlights:

From PRT to Social ABCs
Dr. Brian’s initial interest in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) began in the late 1990s, driven by a desire to support children with autism in natural and comfortable ways. Her early experiences at the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) laid a strong foundation in the science of learning, and by 2007, she began developing Social ABCs—a program rooted in PRT but tailored specifically for toddlers and their caregivers.

What is Social ABCs?
Social ABCs is a caregiver-mediated intervention (CMI) for children ages 12 to 42 months (with a baby version in development). Rather than working directly with the child, trained coaches guide caregivers in real-time, helping them support their child’s learning during everyday interactions. The program targets three pivotal learning goals:

• Orienting to social partners

• Sharing enjoyment in motivating activities

• Directing communication toward others

Program Formats & Virtual Access
Dr. Brian describes the different delivery models of Social ABCs:

• Individual coaching model: A 12-week program that tapers as caregivers build confidence.

• Group model: A hybrid, 6-week program combining small-group sessions with one-to-one coaching.

• Virtual delivery: Launched during COVID-19, this format proved equally effective for most outcomes and greatly enhanced accessibility for rural families.

Listening to Parents: Lessons from Early Autism Research
Drawing from longitudinal research on baby siblings of children with autism, Dr. Brian explains how early differences in visual attention and social smiling informed the Social ABCs design. She emphasizes how research consistently shows parents can detect early concerns—even by 9 months—and why it’s vital that professionals take those concerns seriously.

Intentional Coaching: Empowering, Not Replacing, Parents
Social ABCs coaches do not model strategies directly with the child, a deliberate decision to keep parents at the center of learning. This approach respects the parent-child relationship, supports authentic interaction, and gives families the joy of experiencing key developmental milestones firsthand.