Infants who show symptoms of autism should be given behavioral therapy the soonest time possible as this could start to benefit them by the time they reach toddlerhood.
Findings of a new research suggest that for children as young as 6 months old that exhibit early signs of autism such as repetitive movement patterns, reduced eye contact and reduced interest to interact with caregivers, a parent-provided therapy prevents developmental delays by the time they reach 2 to 3 years old.
For the new study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders on Sept. 9, Sally Rogers, from the University of California's UC Davis MIND Institute, and colleagues involved seven infants, who were between six and 15 months old at the start of the study that exhibited symptoms perceived to increase their odds of developing autism spectrum disorders when they get older.
The children's parents were to provide the children with a behavioral therapy called Early Start, a modified version of a therapy that is already given to older children, which involved the parents going through a 12 session-course so they can learn of new ways to interact with their children during daily routines such as when they go for a walk, feed and play. The objective of the therapy is to improve the babies' social interaction and optimize their attention on their parents' faces and voices.
"Within six to eight weeks, parents were carrying out interactions at the same skill level as trained therapists," Rogers said. "It was framed all through play and pleasurable interactions through parents and children."
By the time the children reach 2 to 3 years old, six of the seven children have caught up with their learning and language skills and some of the children were doing so well they no longer need to receive other behavioral therapies.
"We have speeded up their developmental rates and profiles, not for every child in our sample, but for six of the seven," Rogers said.
Rogers likewise pointed out that many of the participants attended standard preschool and while one of the children, who is now four years old, still have difficulty learning and still exhibit autism-like symptoms, none of the children who participated in the study still receives autism services.
Despite the positive outcome of the therapy, Rogers said that it did not prove that the participants recovered from autism because they were too young at the start of the study to be diagnosed of the condition. Nonetheless, she said that it could pave way for a potential treatment for those exhibiting early symptoms of autism.
