Results are comparable with several other studies with a similar or slightly higher therapeutic intensity implementing comparable or different early intervention methods or programs .
Compared to most high-intensity programs ( 30–40 h/week ) , lower cognitive gains were observed .
Different early intervention programs , developed predominantly in the US , for preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) have been published .
Several systematic review articles including a German Health Technology Assessment on behavioural and skill-based early interventions in children with ASD reported insufficient evidence and a substantial problem of generalisability to the German context .
In Germany , approx .
2–5 h early intervention is supported by social services .
The Scottish Centre for Autism Preschool Treatment Programme
This article evaluates the effectiveness of a developmentally based early intervention programme .  Two groups of children were compared , a  treatment group and a no-treatment control group .  St and ardized assessment s were administered before and after the intervention period by an independent clinician . Pre-treatment comparisons revealed that the control group had a significantly higher pre-treatment IQ ; but the two groups were comparable for age , mental age , socioeconomic status and number of hours of non-experimental therapy . Results demonstrated that children in the treatment group improved significantly more than those in the control group on measures of joint attention , social interaction , imitation , daily living skills , motor skills and an adaptive behaviour composite . A measure of requesting behaviour fell short of statistical significance . The total stress index reduced for treatment group parents and increased for the control group parents ( but not significantly ) . The results of the study are considered to support the efficacy of this treatment approach
Results are comparable with several other studies with a similar or slightly higher therapeutic intensity implementing comparable or different early intervention methods or programs .
Compared to most high-intensity programs ( 30–40 h/week ) , lower cognitive gains were observed .
Different early intervention programs , developed predominantly in the US , for preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) have been published .
Several systematic review articles including a German Health Technology Assessment on behavioural and skill-based early interventions in children with ASD reported insufficient evidence and a substantial problem of generalisability to the German context .
In Germany , approx .
2–5 h early intervention is supported by social services .