THE EFFECTS OF EARLY INTERVENTION IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND THE DIFFERENT METHODS APPLIED

Abstract

The aim of this review was to obtain a valid conclusion about the effectiveness of early intervention programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a qualitative, retrospective and cross-sectional study using the databases National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Regional Portal of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), with the descriptors "autism spectrum", "children" and "early intervention", used in quotation marks, and the Boolean operator “AND”. Articles published between 2020 and 2023 and controlled clinical trial were included; studies that deviate from the covered topic and from the objectives of this review were excluded, as well as duplicate articles. 30 studies were selected for this review. Behavioral interventions mainly incorporate a developmental approach based on understanding how language and communication emerge in typical development, besides approaches based on applied behavioral analysis. The evidence base demonstrates benefits in low and high intensity early interventions, performed by parents or clinical professionals and educators, including parental communication style and early social communication in children. Therefore, emerging findings suggest that earlier may result in more favorable outcomes.