Efficacy of early interventions for infants and young children with, and at risk for, autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

With advances in the field’s ability to identify autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at younger ages, the need for information about the evidence-base for early intervention continues to rise. This review of the ASD early intervention (EI) literature focuses on efficacy studies published within the past 15 years. The neurodevelopmental context for early intervention, timing of initiating intervention, primary intervention approaches, and predictors of treatment outcomes are discussed. The evidence indicates that young children with ASD benefit from EI, and their parents learn to implement child-responsive engagement strategies when a parent-coaching intervention is provided. Evidence supports combining parent-mediated and direct clinician-implemented intervention to maximize child developmental gains. Clinical practice recommendations are presented, based on the literature reviewed.

Keywords:

• Autism spectrum disorders
• early intervention
• efficacy

Acknowledgements

Special appreciation is extended to Dr Julie Feuerstein for her comments on this manuscript during preparation, and to Chelsea Homa and Erin McAuliffe for their help with preparing the reference document.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Maternal and Child Health Bureau [R40 MC26193] and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [R21 DC015846].