A new method of treatment for children with autism has been shown to eliminate the majority of the most difficult and troubling behaviors seen in autistic children. The Infant Start program developed by Sally J. Rogers and Sally Ozonoff, professors of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California Davis, is the first to produce documented results. The program and initial research were presented in the edition of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
The key to the success of the program is beginning treatment as early as possible and preferably before a child that is autistic is six months old. The program involves 12 one-hour sessions of child therapy, treatment sessions twice a week for six months, and assessments at 24 and 36 months. Parents were involved in all therapy session. The seven children that participated in the pilot program demonstrated fewer autism symptoms at 18 months of age and at 36 months of age than a control group of autistic children that did not receive early treatment.
Treatment includes parental involvement because parents are the people that deal with autism directly. New skills are presented to the children in a daily routine that the parents learn. A manual helps parents stay on track. The behaviors addressed include social engagement, communication, and appropriate play. The treatment was successful in 85 percent of the children that participated.
The children that were involved with the pilot program were tested with the Autism Observation Scale for Infants at the beginning of treatment and at two years of age and three years of age. The children that received early treatment for autism had fewer social and language development problems than children that began therapy at the present norm of three years of age. While the initial sample size was small, the results indicate early treatment makes autistic people more capable off dealing with life.
