Do Early Therapies Help Very Young Children with or at High Likelihood for Autism?

In an analysis of reviews assessing therapeutic or educational interventions for very young autistic children and infants who have higher likelihood of an autism diagnosis, a team of researchers led by Duke Center for Autism Associate Director Lauren Franz, MBChB, MPH, found certain types of interventions can provide benefits. The analysis, “Early intervention for very young children with or at high likelihood for ASD: An overview of reviews,” was published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, May 18, 2022, and covered in multiple news outlets including Science Magazine. In it, researchers found that certain types of interventions — called naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, developmental interventions, and behavioral interventions — can provide benefits. The researchers pointed out that the field is still in need of larger, high quality studies, and many questions remain to better understand how to best tailor interventions to the unique needs of each child.

“We have a growing evidence base that supports the importance of early intervention and its ability to promote communication skills and help facilitate social interactions and relationships. However, there are limitations to this evidence base, which leaves families with some work to do in order to understand which approach is the best fit for themselves, their child, or their family,” said Franz.

In addition to news coverage, study highlights were shared in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology’s YouTube podcast.