Communication skills of young children diagnosed with autism: Comparative effectiveness of applied behavior analysis and developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based interventions

Comparative effectiveness of intervention programs addressing communication skills of young children diagnosed with autism is rarely examined in relation to progress toward functional, clinical outcomes. Examination of the effectiveness of specific intervention techniques with young children would provide valuable information for treatment choices during the critical early intervention period. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) (Lovaas, 1977; 1987) and Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based model (DIR) (Greenspan & Wieder, 1998), are fundamentally different intervention programs compared in a pilot study completed in a 6-week language disorders clinic. Seven males and three females participated 4 days a week for 25 minutes each day. A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no significant difference between pre- and post-test scores for the DIR and ABA intervention programs on the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (CSBS) (Wetherby & Prizant, 1999a).; The current research explored the differences between the pre- and post-test results on the CSBS following a 6-week intervention program of either ABA or DIR. Ten young children diagnosed with autism were matched on pre-test scores, chronological and mental age, and developmental language stage obtained from the CSBS. One child from each pair was randomly assigned to either ABA or DIR. Sessions were held 4 days per week for 3 hours each day.; Post test scores were analyzed to compare ABA and DIR intervention outcomes. Scores on the language comprehension scale were significant (Wilkes-Lambda: F (1,6) = 9.195, p = .023) with the children receiving ABA demonstrating significantly improved scores for language comprehension than the children receiving DIR. The within subjects analysis showed several scales on which the children demonstrated significant differences between pre- and post test scores.; Changes in daily clinical goals showed significant differences for language comprehension and verbal production Wilkes-Lambda: F (1, 6) = 6.313, p = .046; Wilkes-Lambda: F (1, 6) = 9.195, p = .023, respectively). The ABA children made greater gains in these communication measures than the DIR children. Discussion focuses on the possible reasons for clinical improvements and the implementation of each approach that facilitated the improvements. Possible limitations in the research are presented as well as potential areas for future research.