Autism Programs Work Best When Started Early

By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston

Intensive behavior programs for autism spectrum disorders were moderately effective at improving core deficits, particularly when started shortly after diagnosis, but additional and stronger research on these programs is needed, a systematic review found.

Action Points

• A policy statement on nonmedical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders suggests that early, comprehensive, intense, and longer-duration interventions are most likely to assist with core deficits.
• Note that strength of evidence from review of systematic reviews and intervention studies was not considered high and thus the policy committee could not distinguish among techniques nor assess characteristics of children most likely to benefit; further research was recommended.

A policy statement from the Evidence-based Practice Center on behavioral interventions for autism found that programs offering comprehensive, intense, and long-duration interventions started shortly after diagnosis and for at least 25 hours a week may offer the best outcomes, according to Margaret Maglione, MPP, of the Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center in Santa Monica, and colleagues.

Interventions should address social communication, language, play skills, and maladaptive behavior, they wrote online in Pediatrics.  READ MORE >>