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 .
Two-Year Outcomes for Children With Autism After the Cessation of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention
Evidence from recent meta-analytic and narrative review suggests that early intensive behavioral intervention ( EIBI ) may improve life chances of preschool children with autism . Unfortunately , there are few data indicating whether early gains are maintained after intervention ceases . The purpose of the present study was to establish the 2-year follow-up outcome for children with autism ( N = 41 ) who had participated in an earlier 2-year controlled comparison of EIBI . Twenty-three children in the intervention group ( 100 % of original sample ) and 18 in the treatment-as-usual comparison group ( 86 % of original sample ) were located and retested . Group differences favoring intervention substantially diluted in this period but varied significantly between subgroups who had received university-supervised and parent-commissioned interventions , favoring the latter . These groups differed in terms of their baseline characteristics and intensity of intervention . Results strongly suggest a need for better characterization of those children who would benefit from more active maintenance programs
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 .