Effectiveness of Intensive Behavioral Intervention in a large, community-based program

Abstract

Although the efficacy of Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has been well documented in small model programs, IBI's effectiveness (i.e., does it work in the “real world”?) has been less studied and may not be as impressive, e.g. Bibby, Eikeseth, Martin, Mudford, and Reeves (2002). This study reports on the outcomes of 332 children, aged 2–7 years, enrolled in a large, community-based, publicly funded IBI Program in Ontario, Canada. File review data at intake and exit were compared on a group basis as well as on an individual basis. Results indicated statistically significant and clinically significant improvements: reduction in autism severity, gains in cognitive and adaptive levels, as well as a doubling of children's rate of development. There was a considerable heterogeneity in outcome, as expected, and children were classified into seven categories of progress/outcome. The majority of children (75%) showed some gains during IBI and 11% achieved average functioning. Although the study has clear methodological limitations (chiefly the lack of a comparison group), it suggests that IBI can be implemented effectively in a large, community-based program.