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A behavior modification approach to the treatment of autistic children

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Abstract

In the very short span of 12 years, behavior modification has contributed in a major way to the education of the autistic child. Its major contribution lies in its demonstrated effectiveness. As such, it is the only intervention which has been empirically demonstrated to offer help for autistic children. Each child who underwent treatment made measurable progress, even though the progress was slow and incremental and few children became “normal”.

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The research in our laboratory was sponsored by USPHS Research Grant No. 11440, from the National Institute of Mental Health, and EHA Title VI-B, No. 42-00000-0000832/025, from the California Department of Education to the Office of the County Superintendent of Schools, Santa Barbara, California.

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Lovaas, O.I., Schreibman, L. & Koegel, R.L. A behavior modification approach to the treatment of autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 4, 111–129 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02105365

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