Assessing progress and outcome of early intensive behavioral intervention for toddlers with autism
Abstract
Intensive behavioral intervention for young children diagnosed with autism can produce large gains in social, cognitive, and language development. Although several studies have identified behaviors that are possible indicators of best outcome, changes in performance are typically measured using norm-referenced standardized scores referencing overall functioning level rather than via repeated observational measures of autism-specific deficits (i.e., social behavior). In the current study, 83 children with autism (CWA), aged 1, 2 and 3 years, and 58 same-aged typically developing children (TDC) were directly observed in the areas of cognitive skills, joint attention (JA), play, and stereotypic behavior using a measure called the Early Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT; MacDonald et al., 2006). CWA were assessed at entry into an EIBI program and again after 1 year of treatment. Changes in performance were compared pre- and post-treatment as well as to the normative data by age. Results indicate significant gains on the ESAT across all age groups with the greatest gains seen in the children who entered treatment prior to their second birthday. Increases were seen on direct measures of JA, play, imitation and language while decreases were seen in stereotypy regardless of level of performance at entry into EIBI. The ESAT, a direct measurement tool, served as a sensitive tool to measure changes in autism symptomatology following EIBI treatment.
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Early treatment may be more beneficial than treatment started at older ages.
“which research suggests may be more beneficial than treatment started at older ages.26,27,28”
From Evaluation of the Diagnostic Stability of the Early Autism Spectrum Disorder Phenotype in the General Population Starting at 12 Months (2019) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- MacDonald, R., Parry-Cruwys, D., Dupere, S., & Ahearn, W.
- Affiliations
- New England Center for Children (US)
- Corresponding author
- MacDonald, Rebecca
- ORCID
- Ahearn, William
- Venue
- Research in Developmental Disabilities
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 3632-3644
- ISSN
- 0891-4222 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2106906975
- Cited by
- 214
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 7
- FWCI
- 7.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Research in Developmental Disabilities (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Organization for Autism Research
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Keywords
- early intensive behavioral intervention, autism spectrum disorder, toddlers, joint attention, stereotypy, play, imitation, language development, social behavior, treatment outcomes, early intervention, typically developing children
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Attention, Autistic Disorder, Behavior Therapy, Child, Preschool, Cognition, Humans, Infant, Play and Playthings, Stereotyped Behavior, Reproducibility of Results, Case-Control Studies, Treatment Outcome, Early Intervention, Educational
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