Predictors of Developmental and Adaptive Behaviour Outcomes in Response to Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention and the Early Start Denver Model.

Researchers studied 82 autistic preschoolers receiving two different early intervention programs over one year. Both programs helped children improve their development scores and daily living skills. Children who paid more attention to playful adults during testing had better language and behaviour outcomes overall. For one program (G-ESDM), children with better sustained attention showed greater non-verbal development improvements.

This suggests that measuring attention skills might help choose the best intervention for each child.

This study compared two early intervention approaches for autistic preschoolers: Group-based Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) and Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI). Over one year, 82 matched children (42 G-ESDM, 40 EIBI) were assessed for developmental and adaptive behaviour outcomes. Both groups showed significant improvements in Developmental Quotient scores and trend-level gains in adaptive behaviour. Eye-tracking measures revealed that children with higher attention to playful adults had better verbal development and adaptive behaviour outcomes across both interventions.

Additionally, sustained attention specifically predicted better non-verbal developmental outcomes for children receiving G-ESDM but not EIBI, suggesting intervention-specific predictors may help tailor treatment selection.

Fine-grained attention measures show promise for personalizing early intervention selection. Both G-ESDM and EIBI appear effective in community settings. Eye-tracking assessments of social attention could inform treatment planning, while sustained attention measures may specifically guide G-ESDM candidacy decisions for optimizing individual outcomes.

The abstract does not specify randomization procedures, control conditions, or detailed methodology. Sample characteristics beyond preschool age are not described. The single predictive effect found suggests limited intervention-specific predictors were identified. Follow-up period was approximate rather than standardized.

Many autistic children require support to meet their learning needs. Given the heterogeneity within the autism spectrum it is plausible that different types of support might be better suited to different children. However, knowledge on what interventions work best for which children is limited. We examined the outcomes of autistic preschool-aged children receiving one of two community early intervention approaches.

Our main objective was to understand which baseline child characteristics might be associated with the degree of individual response to intervention-whether prognostically (i.e., irrespective of intervention received) or predictively (i.e., specifically in the context of one or other EI approach). Participants comprised two matched groups of preschool-aged autistic children receiving either Group-based Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM; n = 42) delivered in a 1:3-4 staff:child ratio or an Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI; n = 40) delivered in combination of 1:1 and 1:2 staff:child ratio. Over an approximate one-year follow-up period, children in both groups made significant gains in Developmental Quotient (DQ) scores, and trend-level gains in adaptive behaviour composite scores. Higher attention to a playful adult measured via an eye-tracking task was prognostically indicative of better verbal DQ and adaptive behaviour outcomes for the cohort overall.

Moderation analyses indicated a single predictive effect-of pre-program sustained attention for subsequent NVDQ outcomes specific to those children receiving G-ESDM. These findings suggest that fine-grained measures of learning skills offer promise towards the selection and tailoring of intervention approaches to meet individual children's learning needs.