title: Outcome for Children Receiving the Early Start Denver Model Before and After 48 Months.
abstract: The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is an intervention program recommended for pre-schoolers with autism ages 12-48 months. The rationale for this recommendation is the potential for intervention to affect developmental trajectories during early sensitive periods. We investigated outcomes of 32 children aged 18-48 months and 28 children aged 48-62 months receiving the ESDM for one year (approximately 20 h per week). Younger children achieved superior verbal DQ gains compared to their older counterparts. There were no group differences with respect to non-verbal DQ and adaptive behavior (with both age-groups undergoing significant change), or ASD severity (with neither age-group showing improvements on the ADOS). The association between verbal DQ gains and age at intake was moderated by baseline verbal level.
authors.affiliation: AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. giacomo.vivanti@drexel.edu.|Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. giacomo.vivanti@drexel.edu.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vivanti
authors.affiliation: Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dissanayake
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D061345:Early Medical Intervention / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Autism; Early Start Denver Model; Early intervention; Effectiveness; Minimally verbal children; Predictors of outcomes