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Raising I.Q. in Toddlers With Autism (The New York Times)
A new intensive program for very young children with autism has produced impressive results, leading to substantial gains in I.Q. and in listening skills after two years of therapy.
The program, called the Early Start Denver Model, or E.S.D.M., was part of a two-year study of 48 children as young as 18 months old. Half the children received the intensive therapy, while the rest received a community-based autism intervention, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics.
While children in both groups improved, the gains were greater in the Early Start program. At the conclusion of the study, the I.Q.’s of children who took part in the E.S.D.M. program had improved by about 18 points, compared with a 4 point improvement in the other group. Children in the treatment group also posted bigger gains in listening and comprehension skills. For seven of the children in the treatment group, the improvements were pronounced enough to warrant a change in diagnosis from autism to a milder condition, whereas only one child in the community-based intervention group was given a less severe diagnosis.
The intervention was developed by Sally J. Rogers, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Davis, MIND Institute in Sacramento, and by Geraldine Dawson, a University of Washington psychology professor who is chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks. On Christmas, the program will become available in a new book, “Early Start Denver Model for Young Children With Autism: Promoting Language, Learning and Engagement” (Guilford Press).
FOR CONTINUATION OF THIS ARTICLE, CLICK THIS LINK TO THE NEW YORK TIMES: Raising I.Q. in Toddlers With Autism – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.
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