PMID 22396224
Yoshiyuki Tachibana et al.
Background
This study looks at the different types of intervention methods for preschool children with ASD and to compare the outcomes of each of these interventions. The interventions were classified under three models - Behavior, multimodal, and communication.
Introduction
Goal: The purpose of this study is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of interventions.
Methods
This study reviews all intervention data for preschool-aged children using a meta-analysis with the Cochrane tool. Qualifying preschool children were 0 to 6 years of age with a diagnosis of ASD per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Qualifying studies also had to be RCTs (Randomized Controlled Trials) with intervention being delivered to the parents or directly to the child by trained professionals.
Intervention outcomes are classified in this study as either primary or secondary outcomes. Primary outcomes are defined in this study as outcomes which are direct autism diagnoses - social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Secondary outcomes are defined as outcomes that are not primary outcomes but can be used as substitute outcomes in autism diagnosis.
Results
Conclusion
Discussion
One difficulty that occurred in this study is that there have never been any previous studies which have focused on comparing intervention types for preschool-aged children. Specific topics that were difficult to compare were joint attention and parent-child interaction improvements from before and after treatment.
Results for intervention comparisons are checked by two independent review authors, and in the case of a disagreement, negotiations are handled by a third independent review author.
Missing or incomplete data is handled by contacting the authors of the study. If the authors do not reply, study data will not be included.
The data gathered and compared in this study will be a good resource to show the strengths and weaknesses between each of the different types of intervention. This data will be useful for practitioners looking to choose the intervention type most suited for their patients' specific needs.
