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Brief Report: Predictors of Outcomes in the Early Start Denver Model Delivered in a Group Setting

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Abstract

There is a paucity of studies that have looked at factors associated with responsiveness to interventions in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated learning profiles associated with response to the Early Start Denver Model delivered in a group setting. Our preliminary results from 21 preschool children with an ASD aged 2- to 5-years suggest that the children with more advanced skills in functional use of objects, goal understanding and imitation made the best developmental gains after 1 year of treatment. Cognitive abilities, social attention, intensity of the treatment and chronological age were not associated with treatment gains.

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Acknowledgments

This Project was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The authors thank Carmela Germano for statistical assistance and Kristelle Hudry for her comments on a previous draft of the article. In addition, we extend our gratitude to the children and their families who participated so generously in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Giacomo Vivanti & Cheryl Dissanayake

  2. Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Giacomo Vivanti & Cynthia Zierhut

  3. The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Cynthia Zierhut & Sally J. Rogers

Authors
  1. Giacomo Vivanti
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  2. Cheryl Dissanayake
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  3. Cynthia Zierhut
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  4. Sally J. Rogers
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Victorian ASELCC Team

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Correspondence to Giacomo Vivanti.

Additional information

The Victorian ASELCC Team in alphabetical order: K. Capes, E. Duncan, J. Feary, D. Pell, J. Reynolds, S. Upson.

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Vivanti, G., Dissanayake, C., Zierhut, C. et al. Brief Report: Predictors of Outcomes in the Early Start Denver Model Delivered in a Group Setting. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 1717–1724 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1705-7

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