Essay on Programs for the Treatment of Autism - 1679 Words

Programs for the Treatment of Autism Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder first termed by a man by the name of Kanner in 1943. He described a group of children as having severe language, behavior, and social interaction difficulties. These descriptors are what have come to be the core elements of autism today. Autism is characterized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th ed.) by a continuum of abnormal development in social interaction and communication combined with a restricted repertoire of activities and interests. Children with autism are typically diagnosed by the age of two, with the prognosis generally being poor. The American Psychiatric Associations 1994 estimated prevalence is about 1 per 1,000†¦show more content†¦Both children in the experimental group and control 1 received intensive one-to-one treatment beginning at average ages of 34.6 and 40.9 months respectively and continuing for two or more years. Children in the experimental group received at least 40 hours of treatmen t per week, whereas children in control 1 received 10 hours or less per week. Children in control 2 were not treated by the YAP personnel, but were given an unspecified form of treatment (Gresham et al., 1999). At the end of the project, 47% of the children in the experimental group were reported as having recovered. This indicating that their IQ scores were in the normal range (M=7, Range=94-120), they had passed the first grade in a regular education classroom, and they showed continuing increases in social, emotional, and educational functioning. Lovaas also reported that the school staff described these children as indistinguishable from their normal peers. No children from control 1 and only one child from control 2 reached this point of recovery (Gresham et al., 1999). Although the YAP appears to have been successful, there are many methodological issues to be considered. Most importantly is the lack of random selection, being a threat to both internal and external validi ty. For example, we cannot prove that the improvements were a direct cause of the treatment and had nothing to do with the children being from the same area. This study has not been able to beShow MoreRelatedAutism And The Prevalence Of Autism762 Words   |  4 PagesThe term autism has become a hot topic in recent years. The increasing number of children being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) coupled with the uncertainty of the cause and treatment methods has only added fuel to the fire. The Center for Disease Control currently reports the rate of diagnosis at 1 in 68 children (Baio, 2014). 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