Change in autism core symptoms with intervention

A Pilot Study of the Effects of an Australian Centre-Based Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism

“…Thus, improvements in ASD symptoms were observed both by parents rated on the SCQ and in the 1:1 assessment. This finding is consistent with those reported by Zachor et al, [26] who found reductions in ASD symptoms on the ADOS social interaction scale for children attending an "eclectic" autism-specific preschool. However, this finding is in contrast to some other evaluations of educationally-based interventions that failed to find improvement in symptoms [22,23,27].…”

“…Finally, like other educationally-based treatment programs for children with ASD [e.g., 26, 46], we have not identified the active ingredients or critical elements of the program. At this point it is unclear whether instructional intensity (hours), curriculum, parent training, and /or other aspects of the program actually contribute individually or collectively to child outcomes.…”

“…Zachor & Ben Itzchak [25] • Significant gains in each of the four raw domain scores of adaptive behaviour • Significant communication and socialisation adaptive behaviour subscale standard scores • Significant decrease of motor skills standard scores ADOS Zachor et al [26] • Significant gains on the social interaction domain score for the "eclecticdevelopmental" intervention group Autism Symptoms SCQ Charman et al [27] • No significant changes over time for the measure of autism symptoms on the Social Communication Questionnaire play skills, managing challenging behaviour, transitions, and communication strategies. Parents are also able to access home-visits by members of the team to assist with generalisation of strategies to the home.…”

“…This is because these programs typically do not subscribe to a single program, philosophy, or theoretical approach, but instead aim to be comprehensive and offer a range of teaching strategies such as Picture Exchange Communication Systems [19], activities drawn from the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) [20], and positive behaviour support [21]. Examples of programs which have received attention are special nursery placement [22,23], autism-specific nursery [24], eclectic autismspecific preschools [25], eclectic-developmental autismspecific preschools [26], and autism-specific primary schools or units for children under six years [27]. These programs share in common an autism-specific focus, structuring their teaching in nursery, preschool, or kindergarten classrooms, and incorporate elements of educational programs such as circle time, individual education plans, and a positive approach to challenging behaviour.…”

A case study in the misrepresentation of applied behavior analysis in autism: The gernsbacher lectures

“…The groups did not differ in pretreatment, but after 2 years, the treatment group had made significant gains over the control group on measures of intelligence (e.g., 24 IQ points), language, daily living skills, and positive social behavior. In Israel, Zachor, Ben-Itschak, Rabinovich, and Lahat (2007) compared a treatment group (n 5 20) that received 35 hr per week of center-based ABA (e.g., DTT, incidental teaching), along with speech and occupational therapy, to a matched treatment comparison control group (n 5 19) that received eclectic center-based treatment (e.g., DIR). After a year, the ABA treatment group had made significant gains on measures of intelligence and core autism deficits (e.g., communicative and social interactions), whereas the control group made only a gain in social interactions, but with a smaller effect size.…”