In a head-to-head comparison with the kind of care most autistic youngsters receive, a program of intensive training aimed at autistic toddlers as young as a year old demonstrated better results in boosting IQ levels, communication skills and adaptive behavior. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics and released Monday, was the first clinical trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of a "comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention" for the very young with autism. In it, 24 children between 18 and 30 months diagnosed with autism received 20 hours a week of training from University of Washington clinicians. The training was aimed at teaching children verbal and nonverbal communications skills within the context of a warm, close teacher-student relationship. A comparison group of 24 toddlers diagnosed with autism got care typically available to such kids in U.S. communities. Encouraging the expression of positive emotions, promoting eye contact and rewarding social interaction were at the heart of the teaching strategies, said lead author Geraldine Dawson, a University of North Carolina psychologist and chairwoman of the scientific advisory committee of the patient-advocacy group Autism Speaks. The kids' parents got specialized training to use the teaching strategies that teachers used, including paying attention and responding to the child's cues. After a year, the IQs of to…[...]

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Autistic toddlers make big gains with early, intensive training