The early identification and treatment of autism is critical to achieving optimal child outcomes. However, screening measures and assessments for autism are either unavailable for children under one year of age or rely on a trained professional for administration. A theorybased and empirically-grounded training program was developed to address this gap. This dissertation is the first known investigation that evaluates the utility of online training to improve parents' recognition of early signs of autism.

Two studies were conducted to examine the need for and utility of an online parent-training program. Study 1 participants were 64 mothers of infants. The "high-risk" group had an older child with an ASD (n = 32) and a "low-risk" group had no family history of ASDs (n = 32). Responses to online questionnaires revealed that high-risk mothers knew significantly more about autism than low-risk mothers, and that educational courses on infant development were their best sources of information about autism. These findings suggest that regardless of risk group, mothers of very young children would benefit from an educational program aimed at improving knowledge of infant development and the early signs of autism.

Study 2 participants were 70 mothers of 6-8-month old infants; (27 mothers in the "high-risk" group and 43 in the "low-risk" group). Random assignment and a pre-test, post-test design were used to examine whether the online parent-training intervention improved (1) knowledge of typical infant development, (2) knowledge of autism, (3) knowledge of early signs of autism, and (4) recognition of atypical development.

Results indicated that the intervention was effective in improving mothers' knowledge of infant development, autism, and the early signs of autism, regardless of risk-status group. As expected, after training, the "high-risk" group identified more early signs of autism, whereas the "low-risk" group recognized more typical infant behaviors. The online parent training appears to be a cost-effective, valuable component in educating mothers to recognize early signs of autism without alarming mothers who likely have typically developing infants.