Children with autism show considerable gains with early intervention: American Medical News

Once again we see that early intervention that includes a lot of parental involvement can make a considerable difference in the life of a young child with autism.

According to a Nov. 30 by Pediatrics Children with autism spectrum disorder can see significant improvement in IQ, language and adaptive behavior when they receive comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention before age 2½.

The Early Start Denver Model involves parents and therapists working with children on improving communication, social skills and other skills. The therapy takes place in a child's home rather than in an office setting.

The Denver model, designed to be used with children as young as 12 months, integrates applied behavior analysis with developmental and relationship-based approaches. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, assigned 48 children ages 18 months to 30 months who had autism and no other health problems to one of two groups.

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amednews: Children with autism show considerable gains with early intervention :: Dec. 22, 2009 ... American Medical News

When my son was first diagnosed with autism a professional told me, "you just have to understand your son will never be normal he will never be able to function like other kids." I'm glad we didn't listen to her. My belief that we as parents and educators can make a difference is why I started National Autism Resources.