scholarly journals Is Earlier Better? The Relationship between Age When Starting Early Intervention and Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Selective Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Patricia O. Towle ◽  
Patricia A. Patrick ◽  
Tamique Ridgard ◽  
Sofia Pham ◽  
Jaime Marrus

Although the conventional wisdom is that “earlier is better” when it comes to intervention for children with ASD, it is not clear what evidence exists to support this notion. This review examined a group of studies that addressed outcomes for young children with ASD who started early intervention at a range of ages. The review was selective by including only papers that examined the age of initiation of treatment as well as baseline cognitive, language, or adaptive level and, in addition, employed a method to control for the covariance between early ability level and age of beginning intervention. Fourteen studies were identified and then compared on methods and outcomes. The support for “earlier is better” was mixed, but it was clear that complex relationships among predictor variables need to be explored in order to understand the role of age of starting early intervention for later outcomes.

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Philofsky

AbstractRecent prevalence estimates for autism have been alarming as a function of the notable increase. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in screening, assessment and intervention for children with autism. This article reviews signs that may be indicative of autism at different stages of language development, and discusses the importance of several psychometric properties—sensitivity and specificity—in utilizing screening measures for children with autism. Critical components of assessment for children with autism are reviewed. This article concludes with examples of intervention targets for children with ASD at various levels of language development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faihan Alotaibi ◽  
Nabil Almalki

<p class="apa">The present study sought to examine parents’ perceptions of early interventions and related services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. In this study a survey was distributed to a sample of 80 parents with children who have ASD. Parents also were asked open-ended questions to enable them to provide suggestions. The findings indicate that parents have varying perceptions of early interventions and related services. However, they seem to agree that these services are important in assisting their children. Accordingly, parents have suggested that the government needs to increase these services by providing more centers for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia, providing more specialists to deal with children with ASD, promoting inclusion in regular schools and providing more information on early intervention.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512500037p1-7512500037p1
Author(s):  
Brittany St John ◽  
Muhammad Al-Heizan ◽  
Molly Hamre ◽  
Karla Ausderau ◽  
Kate Dorrance ◽  
...  

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This study presents the relationships between different types of feeding challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to specific sensory patterns, parenting stress, and overall adaptive behaviors. The findings of this study suggest children with ASD demonstrate unique patterns of feeding challenges and sensory responses that are significantly connected to parenting stress and adaptive behavior and can inform the development of targeted family-centered feeding interventions. Primary Author and Speaker: Brittany St John Additional Authors and Speakers: Muhammad Al-Heizan, Molly Hamre, and Karla Ausderau Contributing Authors: Kate Dorrance, Colleen Althoff


2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110050
Author(s):  
Dinie Ratri Desiningrum ◽  
Dewi Retno Suminar ◽  
Endang Retno Surjaningrum ◽  
Suryanto ◽  
Wiwin Hendriani

Purpose: The purpose of the research is to find husband’s social support for mother of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The problem of this study is how the forms of husband’s social support are perceived by mothers of children with ASD, and what are the factors and impacts for mothers perceived about husband’s social support. Method: The research was conducted on family having children with autism aged 5–14 years, employing a qualitative method by interviewing 10 mother participants. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: The analysis resulted in five themes. First, the impact of disability of children with ASD on marriage relationship; second, the role of husband in parenting children with ASD; third, the perception of mother for husband’s social support; fourth, some factors influences to husband social supports; and fifth, the effects of husband’s social support for mother, children with ASD, and family. The discussion and limitations of this study are considered. Applications/Originality/Value: The results of this study are expected to be a reference for scientists, especially in the field of psychology of children with special needs, and can also contribute to the application of science to institutions related to ASD and observers of children with ASD.


F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1263
Author(s):  
Maria Grazia Logrieco ◽  
Laura Casula ◽  
Giuseppe Niccolò Ciuffreda ◽  
Ilaria Nicolì ◽  
Maria Spinelli ◽  
...  

Background: Lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic brought deep changes to the daily lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), greatly increasing their amount of time spent at home. Methods: A cohort of 243 parents of children with ASD (2-15 years old) completed an original online survey regarding the child’s screen time and the modification of the ASD symptomatology during lockdown to investigate the relationship between them. Results: The data show that high solitary screen time is related with the worsening of ASD core symptoms. Conclusions: This study may help to increase awareness in the excessive use of screen in children with ASD during the lockdown, both during the pandemic as well as after it ends.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Liu ◽  
Julie Kelly ◽  
Lyndsay Davis ◽  
Krystal Zamora

Background and objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor competence, body mass index (BMI), and nutrition knowledge in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials and Methods: Fifty-one children with ASD (five females and 46 males) aged 7–12 participated in the study. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) was used to examine children’s fine and gross motor skill competence; the nutrition knowledge survey assessed children’s overall knowledge of food groups and healthful eating; and BMI-for-age determined their weight status. Descriptive analysis and Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between nutrition knowledge, BMI, and motor competence in children with ASD. Results: The majority of children with ASD (82%) showed significant motor delays in MABC-2 assessments. The BMI-for-age percentile data suggested that 20% of participants were obese, 17% were overweight, and 12% were underweight. The nutrition knowledge data indicated that 55% of children scored below 70% on accuracy in the nutrition knowledge survey. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between MABC-2 manual dexterity and nutrition knowledge (r = 0.327, p < 0.01), and between MABC-2 balance skills and nutrition knowledge (r = 0.413, p < 0.01). A significant negative relationship was also found between BMI and MABC-2 balance skills (r = −0.325, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that nutrition knowledge and motor competence may be key factors influencing BMI in children with ASD and therefore interventions tackling both sides of the energy balance equation are necessary.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-39
Author(s):  
S.A. Morozov ◽  
S.S. Morozova ◽  
T.I. Morozova

According to the survey of 629 families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), it was revealed that the estimation of the significance of symptoms occurring in ASD by parents does not partially coincide with those adopted in modern official classifiers (ICD-11; DSM-V). Parents attach more importance than professionals to speech disorders (especially the difficulties of expressive speech) and significantly underestimate the problems associated with intelligence). The role of comorbid disorders also underestimates the role of intellectual impairment, depressive and epileptiform symptomatology and mistakenly gives a significant place to mental development delays. It is shown that the coordination of the system of inter-relations of parents and professionals can reached by the similarity in assessments of the child status. The results will be used in determining the directions, methods and forms of working with families of children with ASD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
Helen R. McDermott ◽  
Patricia A. Prelock ◽  
Ashley R. Brien

This study examined the relationship between mental state term use in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children engaged in play. Expression of mental state terms was used as an indicator of theory of mind (ToM) skills. Archived data were used to compare mental state term use for five ASD-TD dyads engaged in various play contexts. During imaginative play, children with ASD used fewer cognition mental state terms than TD children but used a similar number of emotion mental state terms. In combination play, both groups used similar numbers of cognition and emotion mental state terms. Play context implicates use of mental state terms in expression in children with ASD. Scaffolding use of mental state terms during play may provide an opportunity for children to use more advanced levels of ToM, including cognitive mental state term expression, when engaged with peers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 942-953
Author(s):  
Patricia D. Cleinmark ◽  
Ashley N. M. Freeman ◽  
Elizabeth L. W. McKenney ◽  
LeAnna Kehl ◽  
Stephen D. A. Hupp ◽  
...  

Relatively few measures have been examined for their psychometric properties when assessing anxiety among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the relationship between ASD and anxiety symptoms remains poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between ASD symptoms on the Social Responsiveness Scale ( SRS) and comorbid clinical anxiety. In a sample of 2,435 participants, parents of children with ASD and comorbid anxiety endorsed more frequent or severe ASD symptoms than parents of children without comorbid anxiety. Severity of ASD symptoms was a significant predictor of anxiety status and approached clinical significance. Implications for measurement of anxiety among children with ASD are discussed, including that areas of symptom presentation should be carefully evaluated, and that the onset or worsening of anxiety may affect ASD symptom presentation.


Author(s):  
Eleni Anna Kardara ◽  
Nanou Andromachi

Early intervention methods for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, increasingly turn to multidimensional approaches with a parallel focus on interprofessional collaboration in order the interventions to be effective. Multidimensional approaches efficiently support the complex system of family interaction and function affecting positively the child’s development. Early and efficient interventions are widely recognized to lead to long-term positive socio-cognitive results for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families. The purpose of this research is to delve into professionals’, special educators ’and therapists’, opinions on their collaboration with parents and other professionals as they apply early intervention programs to children with ASD. Semi-structured interviews of 15 professionals, experts on early intervention in children with ASD, from different regions of Greece, were analyzed using qualitative research methods. Part of the data analysis that presented in this paper demonstrates clearly that the professionals’ and special educators’ opinions emphasize the need for multidimensional approaches. The analysis also highlights the obstacles that restrict collaboration with parents and other professionals. The material resources of state support have also been suggested as factors that interact with family resources that affect the child’s developmental characteristics.


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