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Early Intervention ABA for Toddlers with ASD: Effect of Age and Amount

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Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability manifested early in life. About 26–40% of young children with ASD have intellectual disability (ID). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of ASD and improving cognitive and language function. The purpose of this study was to examine the optimal age, number of treatment hours and domains, for which ABA was effective in a community based early intervention program. An ABA program was implemented with 106 toddlers under 40 months, many of whom were from immigrant families with limited English proficiency. Bayley Scales, VBMAPP and CARS-2 were administered as Pre-and Post-intervention program measures. The children showed significant improvement in all Bayley and VBMAPP measures as well as reduction in symptoms of ASD. The current study shows that ABA early intervention in a community setting provides statistically significant improvement in cognitive, communication, motor, socio-emotional, adaptive and criterion referenced behavior as well as a reduction in symptoms of ASD and barriers to learning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CARES, New York, NY, USA

    Peter Vietze & Leah Esther Lax

  2. Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA

    Peter Vietze

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  1. Peter Vietze
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  2. Leah Esther Lax
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Correspondence to Peter Vietze.

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The relevant University IRB reviewed this study and “it was found to not fall under the description of research that requires IRB approval” and no external funding was received for the research.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Vietze, P., Lax, L.E. Early Intervention ABA for Toddlers with ASD: Effect of Age and Amount. Curr Psychol 39, 1234–1244 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9812-z

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