Early Intervention and Autism

Effective early intervention programs are an important first step for children with autism and those with other developmental concerns. Early diagnosis followed by individualised early intervention can provide the best opportunities for achieving their potential.

Certainly, we are all too familiar with the unfortunate reality that there is no tailor-made treatment for all forms of autism. Different combinations of drugs that may work well in some individuals may be ineffective in others, and the same rule seems to apply to therapy and other forms of care. However, there is one form of treatment that proves effective in every single application: early intervention. With incredible improvements in diagnostic techniques, specialists are now able to diagnose autism spectrum disorders in infants as young as six months.

Autism is much more common in today’s society than parents might think. With the numbers increasing annually, the Centers for Disease Control has stated that one out of every 68 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Back in the day, if a child was diagnosed with autism there was little to no help available. Children were left to work independently and parents were left to pay extensively for private tutoring and assistance—often without results. Organizations and Therapy centers were not around to provide assistance for autistic children so that they could find a way to live somewhat normal lives. In fact, just over a decade ago, autism was considered a learning disability and often children were poorly diagnosed.

Today, autism is a growing concern and is also becoming more popular in research. More parents are aware of what autism is, and there are organizations like ASDF to help educate and provide financial assistance to parents of autistic children.

Diagnosing Autism

Early detection is key in helping a child with autism live a more normal life in society. Since autism can be seen as early as 18 months of age, children should be watched throughout their development for any warning signs of autism. High-risk groups, such as children with siblings diagnosed with autism, should be watched even more closely by physicians and parents alike.

Warning signs of autism include:
Not engaging in pretend play, not making eye contact, not liking to be held or cuddled, not understanding typical emotions or relating to their own feelings, not handling change well, and not relating to others
Repeating actions over and over, and repeating words that are said to them
Having unusual reactions to everyday things
Rarely responding to their own name

Why Early Intervention Is Imperative

Research has shown that early intervention can improve a child’s overall development. Children who receive autism-appropriate education and support at key developmental stages are more likely to gain essential social skills and react better in society. Essentially, early detection can provide an autistic child with the potential for a better life. Parents of autistic children can learn early on how to help their child improve mentally, emotionally, and physically throughout the developmental stages with assistance from specialists and different organizations .

Lastly, catching autism and working through it early also benefits parental relationships. The strain of caring for an autistic child can be an everyday challenge, but with early preparation and intervention, parents can prepare themselves for the road ahead emotionally and mentally.

The road ahead will be bumpy. There will be times when your progress stalls or takes an unexpected turn. When it does, try to remind yourself that these are speed bumps, not roadblocks. Take them one at a time. It is important that you start now. There are a variety of services available to treat and educate your child.

There is no debate or doubt: early intervention is your child’s best hope for the future. Early attention to improving the core behavioral symptoms of autism will give your child – and the rest of the family – several important benefits that you will not gain if you take a wait-and-see approach until your child enters school at age four or five. A good early intervention program has at least four benefits: It will provide your child with instruction that will build on his or her strengths to teach new skills, improve behaviors, and remediate areas of weakness. It will provide you with information that will help you better understand your child’s behavior and needs. It will offer resources, support, and training that will enable you to work and play with your child more effectively. It will improve the outcome for your child. For these reasons, an intervention program for your child should be implemented as soon as possible after he or she receives a diagnosis. However, as you probably know by now, it can be very challenging to teach young children with autism. They have a unique profile of strengths and needs and require intervention services and teaching approaches that are sensitive to these needs. That’s why strategies that worked for teaching your other children to remain seated at the dinner table, to play appropriately with a toy, or to say words simply don’t work as well for your child with autism. In the same way, intervention programs that are generic – rather than autism specialized – are less likely to be effective for your child. That’s why as you begin your exploration of early intervention, you must keep in mind that not all interventions are equal.

Early Intervention will improve the outcome for your child.

The Importance of Early Intervention for Children with Autism

A child’s early years are often considered the most vital. Aptly called the formative years, this period is when the child learns most basic cognitive and mobile functions such as speech, comprehension and physical coordination. Early parent or guardian intervention during this time is essential, and even more so for kids who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), for the following reasons:

- With early intervention, nonverbal children at age 4 can learn to use two-word phrases.

- High-quality early interventions make enough impact that some children with ASDs no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for autism.

- Delays can have significant impact on development and can lead to years of further unnecessary training.

- Early intervention has proven effective. Various early intervention options are available such as:

 The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) — This uses applied behavioral science techniques for early intervention with toddlers.

 Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) — Behavioral psychology and training techniques are used to teach skills and behaviors.

 High-quality Parent-Mediated Interventions — These have been shown to positively modify behavioral patterns for children with ASDs.



The Right Program

The quality of the teaching program is an important consideration for early intervention. Just as essential, however, is picking the right program, since different children have different needs. High-quality programs, though proven effective, may not always yield the same results if they do not suit your child.

A good intervention involves regular assessment to check that your child is making progress. The gains might be small at first, but it all adds up. If there’s no progress, the intervention might need to change or be stopped.



Good intervention services see your child as a child first and as part of a whole family, not just as a person with autism.