Meta-analysis of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for children with autism.
A systematic literature search for studies reporting effects of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention identified 34 studies, 9 of which were controlled designs having either a comparison or a control group. We completed a meta-analysis yielding a standardized mean difference effect size for two available outcome measures: change in full-scale intelligence and/or adaptive behavior composite. Effect sizes were computed using Hedges's g. The average effect size was 1.10 for change in full-scale intelligence (95% confidence interval = .87, 1.34) and .66 (95% confidence interval = .41, .90) for change in adaptive behavior composite. These effect sizes are generally considered to be large and moderate, respectively. Our results support the clinical implication that at present, and in the absence of other interventions with established efficacy, Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention should be an intervention of choice for children with autism.
School of Psychology, Bangor University. eldevik@online.no
Sigmund
S
Eldevik
Richard P
RP
Hastings
J Carl
JC
Hughes
Erik
E
Jahr
Svein
S
Eikeseth
Scott
S
Cross
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome