A new study revealed hope for families with children that are autistic. For the first time, researchers have discovered that if a child is diagnosed with autism as early as 18 months of age, they can raise IQ levels and improve language skills through age-appropriate therapy. “Early intervention can be very effective for toddlers with autism,” says Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, and one of the two lead authors of the study.
Children with autism can have one of several complex neurological disorders, which lead to social impairments, communication difficulties and restrictive and repetitive behaviors. While the cause of autism in not known , the benefits of early intervention have been shown to reduce disruptive behaviors and teach the child skills that will lead to greater independence as he or she gets older.
There is no known cure for autism. The researchers in this study are quick to point out that they were not able to cure children with autism, the subjects of the study still have autism, but in a milder form.
In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all children be screened for autism at the ages of 18 months and 24 months. What was always unclear was once a child was diagnosed as autistic, no one knew the next steps for therapy.
Geraldine Dawson and Sally Rogers from the University of California-Davis M.I.N.D. Institute devised the trial involving 48 children with autism. All the children in the trial were between 18 months and 2 1/2 years old at the beginning of the study. Half of the children were given community-based interventions or therapies and the other half were enrolled in a 20-hour per week intervention program called “Early Start Denver Model” (ESDM), developed by Rogers. The goal of this research was to determine how they can reduce the debilitating effects of autism.
The Early Start Denver Model was designed to address the needs of toddlers with autism as young as 12 months old. ESDM is delivered by trained therapists and their parents in a very natural setting, usually the child’s own home. Children are sitting on the floor and playing, rather than having adult-directed therapy. “It’s a very pleasing kind of therapy, kids are happy. It is play, and it can happen everywhere,” Rogers explains. Dawson adds that this type of intervention builds on a fun, positive relationship with the therapist. This is a contrast to traditional Applied Behavioral Analysis, which is delivered at a desk, with the child sitting next to the teacher or therapist, who breaks down complex tasks into small components and then gives tangible reinforcements.
At the end of the two year study, all children showed improvement. However, the children in the ESDM group had increased their IQ by nearly 18 points. This was 10 points higher than the children getting the standard autism therapy offered in the community. Scores for listening and understanding were higher in the ESDM group as well as self-care skills.
The study’s authors also noted that the children in the ESDM group required only 15 hours of weekly intervention with a therapist, compared with the usual 40 recommended hours. This can have a significant economic impact on families. In 2006, a Harvard study estimated the lifelong cost of care for person with autism is more than $3 million. Rogers says parents can pick up the ESDM therapy methods quite easily. “They can learn this within six hours of working with therapists,” she says. Then parents can use the skills in everyday settings, not just during specific therapy sessions.
“This is a good-news story” says Dr. Fred Volkmar, an autism expert and director of Yale University’s Child Study Center. He says it shows that by effectively intervening at this young age, it is possible to prevent some of the early problems autism causes.
For more information on how to recognize autism, EDMS and other possible therapies, go to http://www.autismspeaks.org/ and http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/conditions/11/30/autism.study/index.html