Abstract
This review identified 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated early intervention (EI) programs for infants in the age-group 18-48 months who either had been diagnosed with, or were considered at risk for, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The studies were summarized in terms of participant characteristics, intervention characteristics, rigor of study/research and outcomes. Intervention characteristics included the provision of training to parents. All the studies used RCT design, with control subjects who were either toddlers of typical development (TD) or toddlers with ASD following “treatment as usual” (TAU) or another treatment, and all were rated as strong in terms of quality/rigor. Positive results were recorded for parental acceptability and satisfaction, and reduction of parenting stress. In most of the studies, the social communication and developmental skills of the toddlers were enhanced. We conclude that EI programs for ASD show promise, and may be beneficial for both the toddlers and the parents, but the limited number of RCTs and the wide variety in intervention programs and assessment instruments used indicates the need for additional research to evaluate the specific benefits.
Highlights
It is currently possible to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at a very early stage, namely when the toddlers are aged around 2 years
Child characteristics The eight studies included a total of 485 participants aged between 17 and 48 months, of which 251 received early intervention (EI) and 234 were control subjects, who were either children of typical development (TD) or children with ASD who received “treatment as usual” (TAU) or another treatment
The ASD diagnosis was based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) (Kasari et al, 2015)
Summary
It is currently possible to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at a very early stage, namely when the toddlers are aged around 2 years. This early identification of toddlers with ASD facilitates the implementation of early intervention (ΕΙ) for children even before they attend school (Mottron, 2017), which is considered to be “essential to achieving the best outcomes” (Pierce et al, 2016). Behavioral interventions are not aimed at “curing” ASD, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder already established in infancy (Landa et al, 2018), but one of the main goals of EI is to reduce the manifestation of ASD symptoms to a minimum. Other intervention goals include the development of social, language, cognitive, adaptive, and play skills (Green et al, 2017; Landa & Kalb, 2012)
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