Early Intervention

When a child learns to communicate effectively from an early age, he/she gains the power of controlling surrounding environments in a way that is not disruptive or aggressive. This prevents a vicious circle developing when children with autism avoid using social skills because they find it difficult, and their social skills worsen because of the lack of use. People tend to tolerate disruptive behavior of a toddler much more than that of an older child. Therefore, it is essential not to allow or encourage behaviors in young children that will later be viewed as challenging as they grow older. Very often when the behavior of an older child raises concern, it has been in existence for years.

A child becomes more skilled or determined at carrying rituals or pursuing obsessions over time (Koegel, Valdez-Menchaca, 1994). There is real risk that if such behaviors are not brought under effective control when the child is in his early years, they will eventually escalate and interfere with daily or desirable activities.

Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) is not about going for as many hours of therapy as possible. We recommend at least 15 hours of VB-ABA per week, but each case is different and should be analyzed individually. A good intervention plan should match your child’s development, capacity, intervention needs, as well as other important family factors. Research conducted by Autism Research Centre of Italy in 2010 highlights Verbal Behavior as a core basis for assessment. Other key elements of an effective ABA program include: early treatment, combination of discrete trail and natural environment teaching, complementary treatment in clinical setting, parent‐mediated treatment in the child’s natural environment, extensive staff and parent training, control of treatment fidelity as well as sound and continuous evaluation of child’s progress. Autism Recovery Network (ARN) abides by this approach.