In particular , there is little evidence that the identified tools would be good at detecting change in intervention studies .
The obvious gaps in available outcome measurement include well-being and participation outcomes for children , and family quality -of-life outcomes , domains particularly valued by our informants ( young people with ASD and parents ) .
This is the first systematic review of the quality and appropriateness of tools design ed to monitor progress and outcomes of young children with ASD .
BACKGROUND The needs of children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) are complex and this is reflected in the number and diversity of outcomes assessed and measurement tools used to collect evidence about children 's progress .
Relevant outcomes include improvement in core ASD impairments , such as communication , social awareness , sensory sensitivities and repetitiveness ; skills such as social functioning and play ; participation outcomes such as social inclusion ; and parent and family impact .
OBJECTIVES To examine the measurement properties of tools used to measure progress and outcomes in children with ASD up to the age of 6 years .
To identify outcome areas regarded as important by people with ASD and parents .
Home-Based Behavioral Treatment of Young Children with Autism
This study evaluated the impact of intensive behavioral treatment on the development of  young autistic children .  The treatment reported in this study was home based and was implemented by parents of autistic children with the assistance of community-based clinicians . Although treatment was unable to be observed directly , parents reported that therapy was based on methods developed by Lovaas et al. ( 1981 ) . Treatment differed from that described in previous reports of intensive behavior therapy for this population in that it was implemented outside an academic setting and for a shorter period . In addition , children received fewer hours per week of therapy than in previous reports . Children in the experimental treatment group were pairwise matched to children in a control group ( who received conventional school-based and brief one-on-one interventions ) on the basis of pretreatment chronological and mental age , diagnosis ( autism vs. PDD ) , and length of treatment . The groups did not differ on pretreatment IQ . Children receiving the experimental treatment had significantly higher posttreatment IQ scores . Smaller , but still statistically significant effects on symptom severity were also found , though experimental subjects still met diagnostic criteria for autism or PDD
In particular , there is little evidence that the identified tools would be good at detecting change in intervention studies .
The obvious gaps in available outcome measurement include well-being and participation outcomes for children , and family quality -of-life outcomes , domains particularly valued by our informants ( young people with ASD and parents ) .
This is the first systematic review of the quality and appropriateness of tools design ed to monitor progress and outcomes of young children with ASD .
BACKGROUND The needs of children with autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) are complex and this is reflected in the number and diversity of outcomes assessed and measurement tools used to collect evidence about children 's progress .
Relevant outcomes include improvement in core ASD impairments , such as communication , social awareness , sensory sensitivities and repetitiveness ; skills such as social functioning and play ; participation outcomes such as social inclusion ; and parent and family impact .
OBJECTIVES To examine the measurement properties of tools used to measure progress and outcomes in children with ASD up to the age of 6 years .
To identify outcome areas regarded as important by people with ASD and parents .