Early Behavioral Intervention Is Associated With Normalized Brain Activity in Young Children With Autism

Abstract

Objective A previously published randomized clinical trial indicated that a developmental behavioral intervention, the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), resulted in gains in IQ, language, and adaptive behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder. This report describes a secondary outcome measurement from this trial, EEG activity. Method Forty-eight 18- to 30-month-old children with autism spectrum disorder were randomized to receive the ESDM or referral to community intervention for 2 years. After the intervention (age 48 to 77 months), EEG activity (event-related potentials and spectral power) was measured during the presentation of faces versus objects. Age-matched typical children were also assessed. Results The ESDM group exhibited greater improvements in autism symptoms, IQ, language, and adaptive and social behaviors than the community intervention group. The ESDM group and typical children showed a shorter Nc latency and increased cortical activation (decreased α power and increased θ power) when viewing faces, whereas the community intervention group showed the opposite pattern (shorter latency event-related potential [ERP] and greater cortical activation when viewing objects). Greater cortical activation while viewing faces was associated with improved social behavior. Conclusions This was the first trial to demonstrate that early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized patterns of brain activity, which is associated with improvements in social behavior, in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Measuring the Plasticity of Social Approach: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of the PEERS Intervention on EEG Asymmetry in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…This is unfortunate considering a recent report that gamma activity in the first 3 years of life is significantly predictive of enhancements in and development of language, cognition, and shifting attention (Benasich et al 2008), and other reports that gamma reflects long-range neural synchronization and connectivity (Engel et al 2001;Varela et al 2001), all of which have been noted to be negatively affected in ASD (Mundy et al 1990;Wing 1981;Just et al 2012). Regardless, the present study, in addition to Dawson et al (2012) and several others (Bolte et al 2006;Faja et al 2012;Russo et al 2010), provides mounting evidence that neural activity in ASD is responsive to socialbehavioral intervention across the lifespan.…”

“…Even though these interventions were brief and conducted with adults, the studies found that brain activity changed in response to the social training. A recent study found increased EEG activity to faces in a group of young children with autism who had been enrolled in early, intensive intervention (Dawson et al 2012). Another study found increased efficiency of brainstem responses to sound after children with ASD completed an auditory intervention (Russo et al 2010).…”

“…A recent study (Dawson et al 2012) examined neural activity in toddlers with ASD who participated in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM: Dawson et al 2010) intervention. Toddlers with ASD were compared on EEG activation to a group of typically developing toddlers and a group of toddlers with ASD who received treatment as usual in the community.…”

Autism as a disorder of prediction

“…Reliable behavioral tests and neural markers of prediction may serve as early assays of these abilities in infants at risk and also be useful as tools to monitor the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions (as demonstrated in ref. 110).…”

The neurobiology of the Prader-Willi phenotype of fragile X syndrome

“…In the treatment of autism, use of intensive early behavioral intervention, such as the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) has been shown to improve developmental and social outcome in addition to normalization of the EEG abnormalities compared to those treated with community behavioral interventions (28). Such intervention is also recommended in young children with FXS both with and without autism or the PWP (29,30).…”