The Usage and Perceived Outcomes of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Programs for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This study investigated families of children with autism spectrum disorders using early intervention and early childhood services, as well as the perceived efficacy and developmental outcomes related to the services and service delivery methods. Results indicated that a variety of recommended practices are not being used by families and interventionists and that intensity of engagement is less than suggested. Parents indicated that parent training was the most effective service in contributing to their child's growth. Significant, yet small, correlations were found between several intervention services/service delivery models and developmental outcomes across areas, including social, emotional, and cognitive development. The importance of assessing social validity related to outcomes is addressed, as are potential implications for service providers.

Early Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Under 3 Years of Age: Recommendations for Practice and Research

“…Because few studies focused exclusively on this age group, studies in which participants included some children aged .3 years were assessed as long as there was sufficient information to draw inferences about younger children. The group reviewed additional reports, which have not been listed in Table 1, including single-subject studies, [39][40][41][42][43][44] other relevant studies, 16,[45][46][47][48][49][50] metaanalyses, 51,52 and reviews. [53][54][55][56] Compared with early intervention models evaluated for preschool-aged children (aged 3-5 years), programs for children aged ,3 years were more likely to use developmental approaches, more intensively involve parents, and target social communication.…”

Parental Perceptions Influencing the Utilization of Early Intervention Services in Children with Developmental Delay

“…Intervention models in cases of Autism Spectrum Disorders report parent participation to be the most effective contributor to the level of improvement in the child 24 .…”

Tablet-Based Cognitive Exercises as an Early Parent-Administered Intervention Tool for Toddlers with Autism - Evidence from a Field Study

“…In addition, since the vast majority of participants were from the USA where a plethora of services are available to older children diagnosed with ASD, it is possible that this pattern of use may be explained by enrollment in other therapies. Since there are fewer services available for younger children [7] parents may be more likely to fill in the gap by working with kids on their own. When services do become available, parents may be less willing to administer MITA on their own.…”

“…Accordingly, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends universal screening of 18-and 24-month-old children for ASD, and also that individuals diagnosed with ASD begin to receive no less than 25 hours per week of treatment within 60 days of identification [6]. Despite the AAP recommendation, two-thirds of US children on the autism spectrum under the age of 8 fail to get even the minimum recommended treatment [7] because of major problems with the availability, quality, and general funding for early intervention programs [8][9][10]. Since the AAP's 2007 recommendation of universal, early screening, there has been a sharp increase in demand for ASD-related services (58% on average) [11].…”