PMID 10832778
Age and IQ at Intake as Predictors of Placement for Young Children with Autism: A Four- to Six- Year Follow-up
Sandra L. Harris and Jan S. Handleman
Background
Early intensive behavioral treatment in children with autism has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments for children before the age of 4 years old.
Introduction
Goal: The goal of this study is to examine the impact of age and IQ as factors on future educational placement.
Methods
Participants were 27 children between the ages of 31 to 65 months of age (average 45 months), diagnosed through the DSM III R as having Autistic Disorder. Each participant had attended the Douglas Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) and had records on age, IQ, and class upon admission and upon graduation.
Results
Age at admission: Children who entered special education treatment at an earlier age were more likely to be placed in regular education classes at follow-up r(25)=.658, p<.005 IQ at admission: A higher IQ at admission was significantly correlated with regular school placement at follow-up r(25)=.655, p<.005. Intake age vs IQ: no significance Follow-up intake age vs IQ: At discharge, the children who entered special education treatment at a younger age had significantly higher IQs than children who entered special education treatment at a later age. CARS scores: no significance
Conclusion
Age of entry to the DDDC was found to be a significant factor in how effective treatment for the child is. If the child entered the DDDC before 48 mons of age, findings similar to previous studies are found. For children over 48 months of age, treatment turned out to be less effective in general. IQ was also a significant factor in effectiveness of treatment at the DDDC. children with higher IQs at entry had a greater chance of being placed in regular education classes at follow-up.
Discussion
One limitation of this study was the small sample size. Further limitations were lack of control over all treatments and experiences the participants received, or the intensity and number of hours of treatment each child received.
