title: Systematic review of early intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism.
abstract: Recent reviews highlight limitations in the evidence base for early interventions for children with autism. We conducted a systematic review of controlled studies of early intensive behavioral interventions (EIBI) for young children with autism. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria (including two randomized controlled trials). At group level, EIBI resulted in improved outcomes (primarily measured by IQ) compared to comparison groups. At an individual level, however, there was considerable variability in outcome, with some evidence that initial IQ (but not age) was related to progress. This review provides evidence for the effectiveness of EIBI for some, but not all, preschool children with autism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK. patricia.howlin@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Howlin
authors.forename: Iliana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Magiati
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Charman
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome