What is Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT)

PACT is a developmental adult-child play intervention for autistic children aged 2-11 years. PACT aims to enhance social communication in children who are preverbal, use a limited number of words, or communicate using sequenced sentences. 

PACT is a therapist-led parent education programme that empowers parents to support their child’s social communication. Parents are guided to recognise their strengths and develop their skills in:

• Identifying their child’s communicative signals.
• Building shared attention/experience sharing.
• Sensitively adjusting their responses to match their child's emotional and communicative state.
• Enhancing their own use of communication.

Adult-child play involves the parent joining the child in their interests to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

The Pre-school Autism Communication Trial was a Medical Research Council randomised controlled trial between 2006 and 2010. PACT is grounded in research on pre-linguistic communication, pragmatics, and language development.

Further information is available in The Lancet article, Parent-mediated social communication therapy for young children with autism (PACT): long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial, https://www.thelancet.com/journals.lancet/article.PIIS0140-6736(16)31229-6/fulltext and on the official PACT website https://www.pacttraining.co.uk/intent-of-approach/

Communication is a dynamic, two-way interaction that combines verbal and non-verbal elements, including facial expressions, intonation, gestures, and body language. We communicate to engage with others, gain different perspectives, and expand our understanding.

Autistic individuals may experience challenges in social communication, which can include:

• Weak or unclear communication signals.
• Limited understanding or use of non-verbal communication (e.g., pointing, nodding, shaking head).
• Difficulty interpreting social cues such as facial expressions and body language.
• Struggles with shared attention (engaging in an interest with another person).

PACT aims to enhance communication and interaction between parents and their children by:

• Helping parents make small adaptations in daily routines and play to foster learning.
• Supporting parents in recognising and responding to their child's subtle communication signals.
• Enabling parents to create, sustain, and expand shared emotional experiences.

Thinking in Shades of Grey delivers the PACT programme online for accessibility and convenience. The initial programme lasts six months and is divided into two three-month packages. Further optional PACT sessions may be arranged if parents require ongoing support.

The structure of the PACT programme includes:

• Parents film approximately 5 minutes of play/interaction with their child and submit it to their therapist at least 24 hours before each session.
• A 1-hour Zoom consultation every two weeks, which includes:
  • A review of recent progress and experiences between sessions.
  • Watching and analysing submitted video clips, focusing on successful parent-child interactions to inform ongoing learning.
  • Setting personalised goals tailored to the child’s unique communication strengths and needs.
• Parents practice their goal for 30 minutes daily, broken into small sessions throughout the day.
• A mini-report after each session summarising key takeaways, current goals, and the next session date.

The PACT 3-Month Package costs £720, which includes

• Fortnightly 1-hour Zoom consultations.
• Video review and tailored feedback.
• A mini-report after each session outlining key takeaways and goals.

For more information or to book a free consultation, contact Sharon Sargeant sharon@autismthinkinginshadesofgrey.co.uk