title: Long-term outcome for children with autism who received early intensive behavioral treatment.
abstract: After a very intensive behavioral intervention, an experimental group of 19 preschool-age children with autism achieved less restrictive school placements and higher IQs than did a control group of 19 similar children by age (Lovaas, 1987). The present study followed-up this finding by assessing subjects at a mean age of 11.5 years. Results showed that the experimental group preserved its gains over the control group. The 9 experimental subjects who had achieved the best outcomes at age 7 received particularly extensive evaluations indicating that 8 of them were indistinguishable from average children on tests of intelligence and adaptive behavior. Thus, behavioral treatment may produce long-lasting and significant gains for many young children with autism.
authors.affiliation: UCLA, Department of Psychology 90024-1563.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McEachin
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: O I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Lovaas
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D016896:Treatment Outcome