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 .
Effectiveness of a Home Program Intervention for Young Children with Autism
This project evaluated the effectiveness of a TEACCH-based home program intervention for young children with autism . Parents were taught how to work with their preschool autistic child in the home setting , focusing on cognitive , academic , and prevocational skills essential to later school success . To evaluate the efficacy of the program , two matched groups of children were compared , a  treatment group and a  no-treatment control group , each consisting of 11 subjects . The treatment group was provided with approximately 4 months of home programming and was tested before and after the intervention with the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised ( PEP-R ) . The control group did not receive the treatment but was tested at the same 4-month interval . The groups were matched on age , pretest PEP-R scores , severity of autism , and time to follow-up . Results demonstrated that children in the treatment group improved significantly more than those in the control group on the PEP-R subtests of imitation , fine motor , gross motor , and nonverbal conceptual skills , as well as in overall PEP-R scores . Progress in the treatment group was three to four times greater than that in the control group on all outcome tests . This suggests that the home program intervention was effective in enhancing development in young children with autism
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 .