Individual behavioral profiles and predictors of treatment effectiveness for children with autism.

Differential responsiveness to intervention programs suggests the inadequacy of a single treatment approach for all children with autism. One method for reducing outcome variability is to identify participant characteristics associated with different outcomes for a specific intervention. In this investigation, an analysis of archival data yielded 2 distinct behavioral profiles for responders and nonresponders to a widely used behavioral intervention, pivotal response training (PRT). In a prospective study, these profiles were used to select 6 children (3 predicted responders and 3 predicted nonresponders) who received PRT. Children with pretreatment responder profiles evidenced positive changes on a range of outcome variables. Children with pretreatment nonresponder profiles did not exhibit improvements. These results offer promise for the development of individualized treatment protocols for children with autism.

[1]  L. Kanner.  Autistic disturbances of affective contact. , 1968, Acta paedopsychiatrica.

[2]  E. Schopler,et al.  Toward objective classification of childhood autism: Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) , 1980, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[3]  N. Gardner,et al.  Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test , 1981 .

[4]  J. Arena,et al.  Expressive one-word picture vocabulary test , 1984 .

[5]  F. Volkmar,et al.  Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders , 1987 .

[6]  O. I. Lovaas,et al.  Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. , 1987, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[7]  R. Koegel,et al.  How To Teach Pivotal Behaviors to Children with Autism: A Training Manual. , 1988 .

[8]  P. Strain,et al.  Promoting Positive and Supportive Interactions Between Preschoolers: An Analysis of Group-Oriented Contingencies , 1990 .

[9]  C. Gillberg.  Outcome in autism and autistic-like conditions. , 1991, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[10]  E. Schopler,et al.  Preschool issues in autism , 1993 .

[11]  J. Olley,et al.  Current Practices in Early Intervention for Children with Autism , 1993 .

[12]  A. Couteur,et al.  Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders , 1994, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[13]  Dc Washington.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed. , 1994 .

[14]  C. Lord,et al.  The Pre-Linguistic Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule , 1995, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[15]  G. Green.  Evaluating claims about treatments for autism. , 1996 .

[16]  Tristram H. Smith.  Are other treatments effective , 1996 .

[17]  Gina Green,et al.  Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. , 1996 .

[18]  P. J. Krantz,et al.  Princeton Child Development Institute , 1997 .

[19]  Fred R. Volkmar,et al.  Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders, 2nd ed. , 1997 .

[20]  S. Ozonoff,et al.  Effectiveness of a Home Program Intervention for Young Children with Autism , 1998, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[21]  S. Rogers.  Empirically supported comprehensive treatments for young children with autism. , 1998, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[22]  B. Prizant,et al.  Understanding the continuum of discrete-trial traditional behavioral to social-pragmatic developmental approaches in communication enhancement for young children with autism/PDD. , 1998, Seminars in speech and language.

[23]  Mary Jane Weiss,et al.  Differential rates of skill acquisition and outcomes of early intensive behavioral intervention for autism , 1999 .

[24]  N. Bayley.  Bayley Scales of Infant Development , 1999 .

[25]  Stephen R. Anderson,et al.  Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism: Continuum-Based Behavioral Models , 1999 .

[26]  B. Leventhal,et al.  The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic: A Standard Measure of Social and Communication Deficits Associated with the Spectrum of Autism , 2000, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[27]  Tristram Smith,et al.  Randomized Trial of Intensive Early Intervention for Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorder , 2000 .

[28]  L. Schreibman.  Intensive Behavioral/Psychoeducational Treatments for Autism: Research Needs and Future Directions , 2000, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[29]  H. Erba.  Early intervention programs for children with autism: conceptual frameworks for implementation. , 2000, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[30]  Stein K. Lund,et al.  A Selective Overview of Issues on Classification, Causation, and Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Autism , 2001, Behavior modification.

[31]  S. Rogers,et al.  Predictors of Treatment Outcome in Young Children with Autism , 2001, Autism : the international journal of research and practice.

[32]  Tristram H. Smith,et al.  Intensive Behavioral Treatment at School for 4- to 7-Year-Old Children with Autism , 2002, Behavior modification.

[33]  L. Koegel,et al.  Teaching Children with Autism Self‐Initiations as a Pivotal Response , 2003 .

[34]  Tristram Smith,et al.  Outcome of Early Intervention for Children With Autism , 2006 .