Autism diagnosis and intervention is not happening fast enough, says Dr. Wendy Roberts, autism researcher at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. She was discussing a groundbreaking American study in which children as young as 18 months received intensive intervention following the Early Start Denver Model pioneered in Sacramento, a method that combines aspects of both social and behavioural therapies. Almost 30 percent of these children improved vastly over the course of two years, compared with only 5 percent of children in a control group referred for traditional intervention in the community.
Roberts emphasized the importance of early detection in helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD.) Many children in North America are not diagnosed until the age of 24 to 48 months, and after diagnosis there is often another long wait before families receive intervention or other necessary services. Like many autism researchers, Roberts advocates routine autism screening for all toddlers, and beginning intensive intervention as soon as there is a suspicion of developmental delay - even before diagnosis is confirmed.
Read more...
No comments:
Post a Comment