Research: The Effects of Intellectual Functioning and Autism Severity on Outcome of Early Behavioral Intervention for Children with Autism

Authored by Ben-Itzchak, E., and Zachor DA in Research in Developmental Disabilities, Volume 28, Issue 3, p. 287-303, (2007).

Article summary (posted Jul 9, 2008):

Children with autism who had stronger thinking skills and better social interactions showed better progress after one year of behavioral therapy than children with lesser skills.

This study looked at what skills were important for better progress during applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a therapy for children with autism. Children with higher cognitive or thinking skills showed better progress after one year of ABA therapy than children with lower cognitive skills. Children with higher social-reciprocal interactions, such as imitating social skills, also showed better progress after one year of ABA therapy. It may be helpful if therapists spend time teaching imitation skills in the first stages of therapy to increase the chances that ABA therapy will help the child improve.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
applied behavior analysis (ABA), autism, cognition, cognitive, communication, developmental disabilities, imitation, intervention, social skills groups, socialization, therapist, therapy
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