Research: Outcome for Children with Autism who Began Intensive Behavioral Treatment between Ages 4 and 7: A Comparison Controlled Study

Authored by Eikeseth, S., Smith T., and Jahr E. in Behavior Modification, Volume 31, Issue 3, p. 264-278, (2007).

Article summary (posted Jul 10, 2008):

Some children with autism who began treatment with applied behavior analysis (ABA) between 4 and 7 years old showed improvement by 8 years of age.

This study followed a group of children with autism who received ABA therapy, and compared them to a group that received other therapies. The ABA-treated group showed better scores for IQ and adaptive behaviors than the other therapy group. They also had fewer problem behaviors and social difficulties than the other therapy group. The age of the child when they started therapy was not related to the success of ABA therapy. The researchers plan to do more research to find out why some children showed more progress with ABA intervention than others.

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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).
adaptive behavior, applied behavior analysis (ABA), autism, controlled study, early intervention (EI), intensive, intervention, problem behavior, therapy, treatment
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