63698
document
Preschool-based social communication treatment for children with autism : 12-month follow-up of a randomized trial . OBJECTIVE This study reports 12-month follow-up data from a randomized controlled trial of preschool-based social communication treatment for young children with autism . METHOD A total of 61 children ( 48 males ) with autism , 29 to 60 months of age , had earlier been randomized either to 8 weeks of preschool-based social communication treatment in addition to standard preschool program ( n = 34 ) or to standard preschool program only ( n = 27 ) . Significant short-term effects on targeted social communication skills have previously been published . Long-term gains in social communication , language and global social functioning and communication were assessed from video-taped preschool teacher-child and mother-child interactions , Early Social Communication Scales , Reynell Developmental Language Scale , and Social Communication Questionnaire . RESULTS Compared with those in the control group , the treated children achieved significantly larger improvements in joint attention and joint engagement from baseline to 12-month follow-up . However , no effects were detected on language and global ratings of social functioning and communication . The treatment effect on child initiation of joint attention increased with increasing level of sociability at baseline , whereas nonverbal IQ and expressive language had no moderating effect . CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to show that , similar to specialist-delivered treatment , preschool-based treatment may produce small but possibly clinically important long-term changes in social communication in young children with autism . The treatment did not affect language and global ratings of social functioning and communication . More studies are needed to better understand whether treatment effects may be improved by increasing the intensity and duration of the treatment . Clinical trial registration information -- Joint Attention Intervention and Young Children With Autism ; http : //clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT00378157 .
63699
Intervention_Educational
Preschool-based social communication treatment
63700
Intervention_Educational
preschool-based social communication treatment
63701
Intervention_Educational
preschool-based social communication treatment in addition to standard preschool program
63702
Intervention_Control
standard preschool program only
63703
Intervention_Educational
preschool-based treatment
63704
Participant_Age
children
63705
Participant_Condition
autism
63706
Participant_Age
young children
63707
Participant_Condition
autism
63708
Participant_Sample-size
61
63709
Participant_Sample-size
48 males
63710
Participant_Condition
autism
63711
Participant_Age
, 29 to 60 months of age ,
63712
Participant_Condition
preschool-based social communication treatment