An increasing number of interventions have some empirical support ; others are emerging as potentially efficacious .
This evidence base up date examines the level of empirical support for interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) younger than 5 years old .
Early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized brain activity in young children with autism.
OBJECTIVE A previously published r and omized clinical trial indicated that a developmental behavioral intervention , the Early Start Denver Model ( ESDM ) , result ed in gains in IQ , language , and adaptive behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder . This report describes a secondary outcome measurement from this trial , EEG activity . METHOD Forty-eight 18- to 30-month-old children with autism spectrum disorder were r and omized to receive the ESDM or referral to community intervention for 2 years . After the intervention ( age 48 to 77 months ) ,  EEG activity ( event-related potentials and spectral power ) was measured during the presentation of faces versus objects .  Age-matched typical children were also assessed . RESULTS The ESDM group exhibited greater improvements in autism symptoms , IQ , language , and adaptive and social behaviors than the community intervention group . The ESDM group and typical children showed a shorter Nc latency and increased cortical activation ( decreased α power and increased θ power ) when viewing faces , whereas the community intervention group showed the opposite pattern ( shorter latency event-related potential [ ERP ] and greater cortical activation when viewing objects ) . Greater cortical activation while viewing faces was associated with improved social behavior . CONCLUSIONS This was the first trial to demonstrate that early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized patterns of brain activity , which is associated with improvements in social behavior , in young children with autism spectrum disorder
An increasing number of interventions have some empirical support ; others are emerging as potentially efficacious .
This evidence base up date examines the level of empirical support for interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) younger than 5 years old .