Abstract
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) characterized by severe impairment in social interaction and communication along with high rates of ritualistic and stereotyped behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). It is one of the most common developmental disorders. The prevalence rate for all forms of PDD is estimated to be around 3–11 per 1,000, and childhood autism is estimated to have a prevalence of approximately 1–4 per 1,000 (Baird et al., 2006; Fombonne, 2003). Researchers have shown that 50–80% of children with autism have intellectual disabilities (Baird et al., 2006; Fombonne, 1999) and that the majority will require professional care throughout their lives (Billstedt, Gillberg, & Gillberg, 2005).
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of O. Ivar Lovaas, who died at the age of 83 on August 2, 2010. Being one of those who had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Lovaas, I will carry not only his scientific legacy for life but also the memory of a charismatic, passionate, breathtaking, and brilliant man.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of O. Ivar Lovaas, who died at the age of 83 on August 2, 2010. Being one of those who had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Lovaas, I will carry not only his scientific legacy for life but also the memory of a charismatic, passionate, breathtaking, and brilliant man.
References
Aldred, C., Green, J., & Adams, C. (2004). A new social communication intervention for children with autism: Pilot randomised controlled treatment study suggesting effectiveness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 1420–1430.
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Anderson, S. R., Avery, D. L., DiPietro, E. K., Edwards, G. L., & Christian, W. P. (1987). Intensive home-based intervention with autistic children. Education and Treatment of Children, 10, 352–366.
Bailey, A., Le Couteur, A., Gottesman, I., Bolton, P., Simonoff, E., Yuzda, E., & Rutter, M. (1995). Autism as a strongly genetic disorder: Evidence from a British twin study. Psychological Medicine, 25, 63–77.
Baird, G., Simonoff, E., Pickles, A., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., Meldrum, D., mfl (2006). Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: The Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). The Lancet, 368, 210–215.
Beglinger, L., & Smith, T. (2005). Concurrent validity of social subtype and IQ after early Intensive Behavioral Intervention in children with autism: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 295–303.
Ben-Itzchak, E., & Zachor, D. A. (2007). The effects of intellectual functioning and autism severity on outcome of early behavioral intervention for children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 28, 287–303.
Bibby, P., Eikeseth, S., Martin, N. T., Mudford, O., Reeves, D. (2001). Progress and outcomes for children with autism receiving parent-managed intensive intervention. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 22, 425–447.
Billstedt, E., Gillberg, C., & Gillberg, C. (2005). Autism after adolescence: Population-based 13- to 22-year follow-up study of 120 individuals with autism diagnosed in childhood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 351–360.
Birnbrauer, J. S., & Leach, D. J. (1993). The Murdoch Early Intervention Program after 2 years. Behavior Change, 10, 63–74.
Carr, J. E., Severtson, J. M., & Lepper, T. L. (2009). Noncontingent reinforcement is an empirically supported treatment for problem behavior exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities., 30, 44–57.
Catania, A. C. (1998). Learning (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Chambliss, D. L., & Hollon, S. D. (1998). Defining empirically supported therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 7–18.
Chambless, D. L., Sanderson, W. C., Shoham, V., Bennett Johnson, S., Pope, K. S., Crits-Christoph, P., et al. (1996). An update on empirically validated therapies. The Clinical Psychologist, 49, 5–18.
Cohen, H., Amarine-Dickens, M., & Smith, T. (2006). Early intensive behavioral treatment: Replication of the UCLA model in a community setting. Developmental and Behavioral Paediatrics, 27, 145–155.
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall: New Jersey.
Cunningham, A. B., & Schreibman, L. (2008). Stereotypy in autism: The importance of function. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2, 469–479.
Dawson, G., & Osterling, J. (1997). Early intervention in autism. In M. Guralnick (Ed.), The effectiveness of early intervention. Baltimore: Brookes.
Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter, J., Greenson, J., Donaldson, A., Varley, J. (2010). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics, 125, e17–e23.
Drew, A., Baird, G., Baron-Cohen, S., Cox, A., Slonims, V., Wheelwright, S., et al. (2002). A pilot randomized control trial of a parent training intervention for pre-school children with autism: Preliminary findings and methodological challenges. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 11, 266–272.
Eikeseth, S. (2001). Recent critiques of the UCLA young autism project. Behavioral Interventions, 16, 249–264.
Eikeseth, S. (2009). Outcome of comprehensive psycho-educational interventions for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 158–178.
Eikeseth, S., Hayward, D., Gale, C., Gitlesen, J.-P., Eldevik, S. (2009). Intensity of supervision and outcome for preschool aged children receiving early and intensive behavioral interventions: A preliminary study. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3, 67–73.
Eikeseth, S., Smith, T., Jahr, E., & Eldevik, S. (2002). Intensive behavioral treatment at school for 4- to 7-year-old children with autism. A 1-year comparison controlled study. Behavior Modification, 26, 49–68.
Eikeseth, S., Smith, T., Jahr, E., & Eldevik, S. (2007). Outcome for children with autism who began intensive behavioral treatment between ages 4 and 7: A comparison controlled study. Behavior Modification, 31, 264–278.
Eldevik, S., Eikeseth, S., Jahr, E., & Smith, T. (2006). Effects of low-intensity behavioral treatment for children with autism and mental retardation. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 36, 211–224.
Eldevik, S., Hastings, R. P., Hughes, J. C., Jahr, E., Eikeseth, S., & Cross, S. (2009). Meta-analysis of early intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 38, 439–450.
Eldevik, S., Hastings, R. P., Hughes, J. K., Jahr, E., Eikeseth, S., & Cross. S. (2010). Analyzing outcome for children with autism receiving early intensive behavioral intervention: Secondary analysis of data from 457 children. The American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 34, 16–34.
Eldevik, S., Jahr, E., Eikeseth, S., Hastings, R. P., & Hughes C. J. (2010). Cognitive and adaptive behavior outcomes of behavioral Intervention for young children with intellectual disability. Behavior Modification, 34, 16–34.
FDA. (October 2, 2006). FDA Approves the First Drug to Treat Irritability Associated with Autism, Risperdal. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
Ferster, C. B., & DeMyer, M. K. (1961). The development of performances in autistic children in an automatically controlled environment. Journal of Chronic Disease, 13, 312–345.
Filipek, P. A., Steinberg-Epstein, R., Book, T. M. (2006). Intervention for autistic spectrum disorders. NeuroRx, 3, 207–216.
Fombonne, E. (1999). The epidemiology of autism: A review. Psychological Medicine, 29, 769–786.
Fombonne, E. (2003). Epidemiological surveys of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders: An update. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 365–382.
Freitag, C. M. (2007). The genetics of autistic disorder and its clinical relevance: A review of the literature. Molecular Psychiatry, 12, 2–22.
Gersten, R., Fuchs, L. S., Compton, D., Coyne, M., Greenwood, C., & Innocenti, M. S. (2005). Quality indicators for group experimental and quasi-experimental research in special education. Exceptional Children, 71, 149–164.
Green, G., Brennan, L. C., & Fein, D. (2002). Intensive behavioral treatment for a toddler at high risk for autism. Behavior Modification, 26, 69–102.
Gresham, F. M., & MacMillan, D. L. (1997). Autistic recovery? An analysis and critique of the empirical evidence on the Early Intervention Project. Behavioral Disorders, 22, 185–201.
Handleman, J. S., Harris, S. L., Celbiberti, D., Lilleheht, E., & Tomchek, L. (1991). Developmental changes in preschool children with autism and normally developing peers. Infant Toddler Intervention, 1, 137–143.
Harris, S. L., & Handleman, J. S. (2000). Age and IQ at intake as predictors of placement for young children with autism: A four- to six-year follow-up. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 137–142.
Harris, S. L., Handleman, J. S., Gordon, R., Kristoff, B., & Fuentes, F. (1991). Changes in cognitive and language functioning of preschool children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21, 281–290.
Harris, S. L., Handleman, J. S., Kristoff, B., Bass, L., & Gordon, R. (1990). Changes in language development among autistic and peer children in segregated and integrated preschool settings. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 20, 23–31.
Hayward, D. W., Eikeseth, S., Gale, C., & Morgan, S. (2009). Assessing progress during treatment for young children with autism receiving intensive behavioural interventions. Autism, 13, 613–633.
Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2005). A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26, 359–383.
Howlin, P. (2005). The effectiveness of interventions for children with autism. Journal of Neural Transmission, 69 (Supplementum), 101–119.
Hoyson, M., Jamieson, B., & Strain, P. S. (1984). Individualized group instruction of normally developing and autistic-like children: A description and evaluation of the LEAP curriculum model. Journal of the Division of Early Childhood, 8, 157–181.
Iwata, B. A., Pace, G. M., Dorsey, M. F., Zarcone, J. R., Vollmer, T. R., Smith, R. G. et al. (1994). The functions of self-injurious behavior: An experimental-epidemiological analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 215–240.
Jacobson, N. S., & Truax, P. (1991). Clinical significance: A statistical approach to defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 12–19.
Jordan, R., Jones, G., & Murray, D. (1998). Educational interventions for children with autism: A literature review of recent and current research. Birmingham: School of Education, University of Birmingham.
Kazdin, A. E., & Nock, M. K. (2003). Delineating mechanisms of change in child and adolescent therapy: Methodological issues and research recommendations. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 1116–1129.
Kraemer, H. C., Morgan, G. A., Leech, N. L., Gliner, J. A., Vaske, J. J., & Harmon, R. J. (2003). Measures of clinical significance. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1524–1529.
Leaf, R., & McEachin, J. (1999). A work in progress: Behavior management strategies and a curriculum for intensive behavioral treatment of autism. New York: DRL Books, L. L. C.
Lord, C., & Schopler, E. (1994). TEACCH services for preschool children. In S. Harris & J. Handleman (Eds.), Preschool education programs for children with autism (pp. 87–106). Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Lovaas, O. I. (1977). The autistic child: Language development through behaviour modification. New York: Irvington Publishers.
Lovaas, O. I. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal intellectual and educational functioning in autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3–9.
Lovaas, O. I. (1993). The development of a treatment-research project for developmentally disabled and autistic children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 617–630.
Lovaas, O. I. (2003). Opplæring av mennesker med forsinket utvikling: Grunnleggende prinsipper og prosedyrer. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
Lovaas, O. I., Ackerman, A., Alexander, D., Firestone, P., Perkins, M., & Young, D. B. (1981). Teaching developmentally disabled children: The ME Book. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Lovaas, O. I., Koegel, R. L., Simmons, J. W., & Long, J. S. (1973). Some generalization and follow-up measures on autistic children in behavior therapy. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 6, 131–161.
Lovaas, O. I., & Simmons, J. Q. (1969). Manipulation of self-destruction in three retarded children. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 2, 143–157.
Lovaas, O. I., & Smith, T. (1988). Intensive behavioral treatment for young autistic children. Advances in clinical child psychology. In B. B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. II, pp. 285–323). New York: Plenum.
Lovaas, O. I., Smith, T., & McEachin, J. J. (1989). Clarifying comments on the young autism study: Reply to Schopler, Short, and Mesibov. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 165–167.
Magiati, I., Charman, T., & Howlin, P. (2007). A two-year prospective follow-up study of community-based early intensive behavioural intervention and specialist nursery provision for children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 803–812.
Makrygianni, M. K., & Reed, P. (2010). A meta-analytic review of the effectiveness of behavioural early intervention programs for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4, 577–593.
Matson, J. L., & Fodstad, J. J. C. (2008). The treatment of food selectivity and other feeding problems in children with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3, 455–461.
Matson, J. L., & LoVullo, S. V. (2008). A review of behavioral treatments for self-injurious behaviors of persons with autism spectrum disorders. Behavior Modification, 32, 61–76.
Matson, J. L., Matson, M. L., & Rivet, T. T. (2007). Social-skills treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders: An overview. Behavior Modification, 32, 61–76.
Matson, J. L., & Smith, K. R. (2008). Current status of intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism and PDD-NOS. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2, 60–74.
Maurice, C., Green, G., & Foxx, R. M. (Eds.). (2001). Making a difference: Behavioral intervention for autism. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Maurice, C. (Ed.), Green, G., & Luce, S. (Co-Eds.). (1996). Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
McEachin, J. J., Smith, T., & Lovaas, O. I. (1993). Long-term outcome for children with autism who received early intensive behavioral treatment. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 97, 359–372.
Mesibov, G. B., Shea, V., & Schopler, E. (2005). The TEACCH approach to autism spectrum disorders. New York: Springer Publishers.
Mudford O. C., Martin, N., Eikeseth, S., & Bibby, P. (2001). Parent-managed behavioral treatment for pre-school children with autism: Some Characteristics of UK Programs. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 22, 173–182.
Muller, R. A. (2007). The study of Autism as a distributed disorder. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13, 85–95.
National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences Education. (2001). Educating children with autism. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine. (2009). Levels of evidence. Retrieved July 1st, 2009, from http://www.cebm.net/index.aspx?o=1025
Ozonoff, S., & Cathcart, K. (1998). Effectiveness of home program intervention for young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 28, 25–32.
Pangborn, J., & Baker, S. M. (2005). Autism: Effective biomedical treatments. San Diego: Autism Research Institute.
Perry, A., Cummings, A., Geier, J. D., Freeman, N. L. Hughes, S., LaRose, L., et al. (2009). Effectiveness of Intensive Behavioral Intervention in a large, community-based program. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2, 621–642.
Peters-Scheffer, N., Didden, R., Korzilius, H., & Sturmey, P. (2011). A meta-analytic study on the effectiveness of comprehensive ABA-based early intervention programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 60–69.
Pinson, L., & Gray, G. E. (2003). Number needed to treat: An underused measure of treatment effect. Psychiatric Services, 54, 145–146.
Reichow, B., & Wolery, M. (2009). Comprehensive synthesis of early intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism based on the UCLA young autism project model. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 23–41.
Remington, B., Hastings, R. P., Kovshoff, H., Espinosa, F., Jahr, E., Brown, T., et al. (2007). Early intensive behavioral intervention: Outcomes for children with autism and their parents after two years. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 112, 418–438.
Rogers, S., Hall, T., Osaki, D., Reaven, J., & Herbison, J. (2001). The Denver model: A comprehensive, integrated educational approach to young children with autism and their families. In J. Handleman & S. Harris (Eds.), Preschool education programs for children with autism. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Rogers, S. J., & DiLalla, D. L. (1991). A comparative study of the effects of developmentally based instructional model on young children with autism and young children with other disorders of behavior and development. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 11, 29–47.
Rogers, S. J., Hayden, D., Hepburn, S., Charlifue-Smith, R., Hall, T., & Hayes, A. (2006). Teaching young nonverbal children with autism useful speech: A pilot study of the Denver Model and PROMPT interventions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 1007–1024.
Rogers, S. J., & Vismara, L. A. (2008). Evidence-based comprehensive treatments for early autism. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 37, 8–38.
Sallows, G. O., & Graupner, T. D. (2005). Intensive Behavioral Treatment for children with autism: Four-year outcome and predictors. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 110, 417–438.
Schopler, E. (1987). Specific and nonspecific factors in the effectiveness of a treatment system. American Psychologist, 42, 376–383.
Schopler, E., & Mesibov, G. B. (Eds.). (1995). Learning and cognition in autism. New York: Plenum Press.
Schopler, E., & Reichler, R. J. (1971). Parents as cotherapists in the treatment of psychotic children. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 1, 87–102.
Schopler, E., Short, A., & Mesibov, G. (1989). Relation of behavioral treatment to «normal functioning»: Comment on Lovaas. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 162–164.
Sheinkopf, S. J., & Siegel, B. (1998). Home-based behavioral treatment of young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 28, 15–23.
Sherer, M. R., & Schreibman, L. (2005). Individual behavioral profiles and predictors of treatment effectiveness for children with autism. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 525–538.
Smith, T., Eikeseth, S., Klevstrand, M., & Lovaas, O. I. (1997). Intensive behavioral treatment for preschoolers with severe mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorder. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 102, 238–249.
Smith, T., Eikeseth, S., Sallows, G. O., & Graupner, T. D. (2009). Efficacy of applied behavior analysis in autism. The Journal of Paediatrics, 155, 151–152.
Smith, T., Groen, A. D., & Wynn, J. W. (2000). Randomized trial of intensive early intervention for children with pervasive developmental disorder. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 105, 269–285.
Smith, T., & Wick, J. (2008). Controversial treatments. In K. Chawarska, A. Klin, & F. R. Volkmar (Eds.), Autism spectrum disorders in infants and toddlers (pp. 243–273). New York: Guilford Press.
Spreckley, M., & Boyd R. (2009). Efficacy of applied behavioral intervention in preschool children with autism for improving cognitive, language, and adaptive behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Paediatrics, 154, 338–344.
Straus, S. E., & Sackett, D. L. (2005). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Volkmar, F., Lord, C., Bailey, A., Schultz, R. T., & Klin, A. (2004). Autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 135–170.
Weiss, M. J. (1999). Differential rates of skill acquisition and outcomes of early intensive behavioral intervention for autism. Behavioral Interventions, 14, 3–22.
Weiss, R. (1981). INREAL intervention for language handicapped and bilingual children. Journal of the Division of Early Childhood, 4, 40–51.
Wolf, M. M., Risley, T., & Mees, H. (1964). Application of operant conditioning procedures to the behavior problems of an autistic child. Behaviour, Research and Therapy, 1, 305–312.
Yoder, P. J., & Lieberman, R. G. (2010). Brief report: Randomized test of the efficacy of Picture Exchange Communication System on highly generalized picture exchanges in children with ASD. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders, 40, 629–632.
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Tristram Smith, Sigmund Eldevik, Madison Pilato, and Lisa Shull for their valuable comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Eikeseth, S. (2011). Intensive Early Intervention. In: Matson, J., Sturmey, P. (eds) International Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8065-6_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8065-6_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-8064-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-8065-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)