A Tool for Setting Therapeutic Goals by the Multidisciplinary Team for the Preschool Child With ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

Abstract

The clinical profile of children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) varies at the early stages of development. A variety of specific deficits may be observed, e.g., feeding difficulties, motor and verbal dyspraxia, sensory integration deficits, etc., therefore the need for multidisciplinary observation and assessment is necessary for setting EDALFA consists of a developmental scale based on eight international scales and on systematic review of the recent literature. It includes the following observation measures: motor development cognitive development, speech and language development psychosocial development, everyday skills, play, other (joined attention, imitation, stereotypes). In every one of those functions, at each age level (1 month to 6 years) skills ranging from 0 to 9 are described, which the typically developing child is expected to master. Upon admission to the program, three therapists (psychologist, speech, occupational) observe systematically the child on a sufficient number of sessions and jointly complete the EDALFA protocol, which shows the developmental profile of the child compared to the typically developing child and the goals of therapy in a hierarchical way. To assess reliability of the tool, a study was carried out that compared the performance of 30 children (2 yrs to 5 yrs 11 mon) on the EDALFA and on Vineland questionnaires filled by the parents. Highly significant correlations were observed on the common measures of the two tools.