title: Parent-directed, intensive early intervention for children with pervasive developmental disorder.
abstract: We examined parent-directed, intensive early intervention for children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Children's parents recruited paraprofessional therapists and requested consultations on how to implement the UCLA treatment model in their homes (Smith & Lovaas, 1998). Parents and therapists then received six one-day workshops over a five-month period, with additional consultations for the next 2-3 years. Six boys participated (intake age 35-45 months, intake IQ 45-60). The study addressed 1) the children's skill acquisition during the first five months of treatment; 2) outcome 2-3 years later; 3) treatment quality; and 4) parents' impressions. Five of 6 children rapidly acquired skills when treatment began, but only 2 clearly improved on standardized tests at the 2-3 year follow-up. Therapists usually employed correct treatment procedures but were less consistent than therapists employed at a clinic. Parents reported high satisfaction with treatment. These mixed results highlight the need for multimodal assessment of parent-directed treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-4820, USA. tristram@mail.wsu.edu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Buch
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Gamby
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016896:Treatment Outcome