Meanwhile, in other autism news...
A recent nationwide study showed that a type of early behavioral intervention called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) can make a serious difference for children with autism.
The 48 children in this study represented a full range of early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) severity. All were between the ages of 18 and 30 months, and were randomly assigned either ESDM intervention or a control intervention for two years.
Researchers gauged results by measuring brain activity in response to both social (faces) and non-social (toys) stimuli via EEG.
Results showed that, following ESDM intervention, 73 percent of the children showed increased brain activity when viewing faces as opposed to objects. (This is on par with typically developing children, 71 percent of whom showed the same patterns.)
Results from the control intervention were starkly different.
In this group, 64 percent of children with ASD showed greater brain reactions to toys than faces--almost the exact opposite response. (This is in line with what we know about autism. Namely, that the brains of ASD children are more engaged by nonsocial stimuli.)
But that's not all. Almost none of the ASD children were verbal prior to ESDM intervention, possessing an average IQ of only 65.
But results after the intervention revealed that average IQs jumped into the 80s...and that all of the children were able to communicate effectively using language.
This is a pretty remarkable study for so many families who think they may have "lost" their little boy or girl to autism. And it perfectly illustrates why I always encourage parents of children with ASD to get as many early interventions as they can afford.
Before you give up, know that there are many alternative solutions out there. I wrote about some of them in my book Feed Your Kids Well. And have shared other developments in past Reality Health Checks (you can search on autism on my website www.LogicalHealthAlternatives.com).
But based on these results, you should absolutely read Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism, by Sally J. Rogers and Geraldine Dawson, as well.
And please spread the word. It could be life-changing for thousands of children and their families.
Until next time,
Dr. Fred
Sources:
"Autism prevalence in the United States with respect to solar UV-B doses: An ecological study." Dermatoendocrinol. 2012:4:4.1-6.
"Early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized brain activity in young children with autism." J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012 Nov;51(11):1150-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.08.018.
The 48 children in this study represented a full range of early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) severity. All were between the ages of 18 and 30 months, and were randomly assigned either ESDM intervention or a control intervention for two years.
Researchers gauged results by measuring brain activity in response to both social (faces) and non-social (toys) stimuli via EEG.
Results showed that, following ESDM intervention, 73 percent of the children showed increased brain activity when viewing faces as opposed to objects. (This is on par with typically developing children, 71 percent of whom showed the same patterns.)
Results from the control intervention were starkly different.
In this group, 64 percent of children with ASD showed greater brain reactions to toys than faces--almost the exact opposite response. (This is in line with what we know about autism. Namely, that the brains of ASD children are more engaged by nonsocial stimuli.)
But that's not all. Almost none of the ASD children were verbal prior to ESDM intervention, possessing an average IQ of only 65.
But results after the intervention revealed that average IQs jumped into the 80s...and that all of the children were able to communicate effectively using language.
This is a pretty remarkable study for so many families who think they may have "lost" their little boy or girl to autism. And it perfectly illustrates why I always encourage parents of children with ASD to get as many early interventions as they can afford.
Before you give up, know that there are many alternative solutions out there. I wrote about some of them in my book Feed Your Kids Well. And have shared other developments in past Reality Health Checks (you can search on autism on my website www.LogicalHealthAlternatives.com).
But based on these results, you should absolutely read Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism, by Sally J. Rogers and Geraldine Dawson, as well.
And please spread the word. It could be life-changing for thousands of children and their families.
Until next time,
Dr. Fred
Sources:
"Autism prevalence in the United States with respect to solar UV-B doses: An ecological study." Dermatoendocrinol. 2012:4:4.1-6.
"Early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized brain activity in young children with autism." J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012 Nov;51(11):1150-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.08.018.
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