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 .
Learning through interaction in children with autism: Preliminary data from asocial-communication-based intervention
The study evaluates a social-communication-based approach to autism intervention aim ed at improving the social interaction skills of children with autism spectrum disorder . We report preliminary results from an ongoing r and omized controlled trial of 51 children aged 2 years 0 months to 4 years 11 months . Participants were assigned to either a target treatment or community treatment group . Families in the target treatment group were given 2 hours of therapy and coaching each week in an intervention emphasizing social-interaction and the parent-child relationship . Children in the community treatment group received a variety of services averaging 3.9 hours per week . After 12 months , outcomes were measured to determine changes in the groups in social interaction and communication . In addition , a regression analysis was conducted to determine whether changes in social interaction skills were associated with language development . Results suggest that children in the treatment group made significantly greater gains in social interaction skills in comparison to the community treatment group , but no between-group differences were found for st and ard language assessment s. Initiation of joint attention , involvement , and severity of language delay were found to be significantly associated with improvement of language skills in children with autism . Finally caregiver skills targeted by the intervention were found to be significantly associated with changes in children ’s interaction skills
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 .