| This retrospective study was conducted to determine if 47 children with autism, between the ages of 2 and 4, who participated in the Autism Spectrum Disorders Outcome Study and Training Project, made significant progress during an 18 month study period; and to examine and analyze relationships between pretreatment and treatment variables and the outcomes of the children in the areas of communication, social interaction, stereotypic behaviors, and pre-academics.;The findings of this study revealed that the children made significant progress. On their post assessments, the children had significantly more expressive language, receptive language, social interaction, and pre-academic skills; and significantly fewer stereotypic behaviors. Survey data provided by parents and teachers supported these findings. During the study, the children's service providers received training in behavioral instructional strategies for teaching children with autism, were provided with curriculum materials from the behaviorally-based Star Program (Arick, Loos, Falco, & Krug, 2004), and were given one hands-on follow-up consultation in their classrooms after the training workshops. These treatment factors could have played an important role in the children's significant progress.;Additional findings indicated that there were significant relationships found between the children's outcomes and their baseline cognitive abilities, baseline language skills, the age they received an educational diagnosis for services, and the number of weekly hours of pull-out one-to-one discrete trial training received. |
