Pilot of Raupi te Raupo: an Aotearoa-specific early autism support programme.

The intervention will involve piloting Raupi te Raupo, Aotearoa-specific programme of support developed alongside Maori and autistic people. There are three variations of this programme that are currently being trialled. These are the original version, a Ngati Toa adaptation, and an adaptation called Raupi te Raupo playtime. These variations will be delivered somewhat in parallel. Original Raupi te Raupo Timeline: Started in October 2023 and will continue until 2025 The programme will involve one session that is up to one hour long per week for 9 weeks. Sessions will alternate between discussion sessions, and practical sessions. Sessions will be delivered by trained coaches with experience in supporting autistic and/or young children and their whanau/families. Each family will be given a booklet outlining the key strategies. Discussion sessions will involve whanau/family members talking with a coach without the child around. They will talk about strategies, reflect on videos of a family/whanau member and/or the coach supporting the child, plan access to other relevant supports, and set achievable fortnightly goals. Whanau/families can choose whether to have the sessions in their home, in the Autism Clinic (20 Sydney Street, Petone), or online using a platform such as Zoom. Practical sessions will involve whanau/family members, and the coach playing and interacting with the child. This will include everyone practicing strategies that they have learned during the discussion sessions. Some of these interactions might be videoed to support reflection during the discussion sessions. Practical sessions will take place on opposite weeks to the discussion sessions in the home. Adherence to the programme will be monitored by taking weekly attendance data and family/whanau will take a weekly log of the amount of time they had spent using strategies. Ngati Toa Pilot Timeline: Started in August 2024 and may continue until 2025. This is identical to the original pilot but will involve delivery of the content by coaches and families who are part of Ngati Toa, a local iwi (tribe) in Wellington. This will also follow the same processes but content will be adapted to suit Ngati Toa. For example, including for more content related to te Ao Maori. Raupi te Raupo: Playtime Timeline: Started in August 2024 and will continue until December 2024. This will use the same processes as the other pilots, but with a greater focus on delivery of support directly to the child by trained coaches. The original Raupi te Raupo includes practical sessions in which the coach and family/whanau interact directly with the the child and discussion sessions in which the coach and family/whanau reflect without the child present. In contrast, Raupi te Raupo Playtime involves only practical sessions in which the coach interacts with the child. All sessions will take place in the autism clinic. Training for the coaches The researchers who developed the programme will train the coaches together in a group during two three-hour-long in-person workshops. This training will take place at least one week prior to the start of the programme. These workshops will include written training materials, PowerPoint presentations, role plays, reflection, and discussion.