EARLY INTERVENTION

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development:

Research shows that early diagnosis of and interventions for autism are more likely to have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can sometimes be diagnosed in children before they are 2 years of age. Some children with ASD whose development seems normal up to that point begin to regress just before or sometime during age 2 years.

Early intervention programs often include:

• Family training

• Speech therapy

• Hearing impairment services

• Physical therapy

• Nutrition services

Early interventions occur at or before preschool age, as early as 2 or 3 years of age. In this period, a young child's brain is still forming, meaning it is more "plastic" or changeable than at older ages. Because of this plasticity, treatments have a better chance of being effective in the longer term. Early interventions not only give children the best start possible, but also the best chance of developing to their full potential. The sooner a child gets help, the greater the chance for learning and progress. In fact, recent guidelines suggest starting an integrated developmental and behavioral intervention as soon as ASD is diagnosed or seriously suspected.

With early intervention, some children with autism make so much progress that they are no longer on the autism spectrum when they are older. Many of the children who later go off the spectrum have some things in common:

• Diagnosis and treatment at younger ages

• A higher intelligence quotient (IQ, a measure of thinking ability) than the average child with autism

• Better language and motor skills

Early intervention programs often include:

• Family training

• Speech therapy

• Hearing impairment services

• Physical therapy

• Nutrition services

-National Institute of Child Health and Human Development