Importance of Early Intervention in Reducing Autistic Symptoms and Speech–Language Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The intervention focused on starting treatment at an early age to develop the child’s full potential, which is known as early intervention. Given that autistic symptoms and language deficits occur at an early age and affect other areas of development in children with autistic spectrum disorder, we wanted to examine if early intervention is more effective in the reduction in autistic symptoms and language deficits in children aged 36–47 months old when compared to children 48–60 months old. The sample consisted of 29 children diagnosed with ASD who were admitted for integrative therapy. All participants were divided into two groups based on age: G1: 36–47 months old children, and G2: 48–60 months old children. To estimate the presence of autistic symptoms, we used the GARS-3, and for the assessment of speech–language abilities, we used the subscale Estimated Speech and Language Development (ESLD). Our results regarding the effect of the group on the difference in the scores at two time points showed that there was a statistically significant effect of the group on the reduction in autistic symptoms (p < 0.05) but no effect of the group on the differences in speech–language abilities between the two time points (p > 0.05). Our study highlights the importance of emphasizing the exact age when using the terms “early intervention” and “early development” in future studies and practice because it is necessary to determine and establish guidelines about which particular ages are crucial for starting treatment in certain developmental aspects.

The challenges for early intervention and its effects on the prognosis of autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review

“…Additionally, the group with an age range of 18 to 24 months exhibited the highest percentage variation in all measures compared to their TDC, with notable improvements in cognition scores (SD:7.21; t:9.93; p<0.01), followed by enhancements in early joint attention (SD:1.87; t:5.04; p<0.01) and eye contact (SD:1.14; t:4.93; p<0.01), except for stereotypy, which did not yield significant results in any of the groups. This finding regarding the age of entry in EIBI is consistent with those reported by Maksimović et al 24 and Lombardo et al 25 , as previously discussed.…”

“… Author Year Study design Sample Objective Main results MMAT score (%) Clark et al 23 2018 Quantitative non-randomized Experimental (n=48) Comparison (n=37) Comparison of prognoses according to the initiation of EI for ASD at different ages Intervention for ASD was most effective in children diagnosed up to 2 years of age. 80 Maksimovic et al 24 2023 Quantitative non-randomized Experimental (n=29) Comparison of prognoses according to the initiation of EI for ASD at different ages Autistic symptoms are reduced more in younger children than in older children. EI had better effects in younger children.…”

“…In general, the selected studies agree that EI is essential for the improvement of ASD symptoms and contributes significantly to changing the prognosis of the disorder. Among the studies comparing age at the beginning of the intervention (1), Maksimović et al 24 emphasize the importance of specifying the exact age when using the terms “early intervention” and “early development” as a measure to determine exactly when to start the intervention. Clark et al 23 , reported that children diagnosed early at two years of age had a better prognosis than children diagnosed at three years of age.…”

“…Children who are diagnosed early have access to more interventions, resulting in better verbal cognition and general expression at school age and, as a consequence, they need less ongoing support at school than children diagnosed later 23 . However, it is considered that factors such as less severe symptoms, social communication difficulties at an appropriate age 24 , lack of routine surveillance and even oppressive and confusing social environments for children with ASD contributed significantly to later diagnoses 36 .…”

“…Accurately quantifying the presence of autistic symptoms and language ability through the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-3) and Estimated Speech and Language Development (ESLD) tests, respectively, the non-randomized study 24 with a sample of 40 children demonstrated a statistically significant difference in symptom reduction post-intervention between children who started therapy at three and four years of age in repetitive behavior (F=5.397, p=0.02), social interaction (F=11.19, p=0.002), and social communication (F=6.70, p=0.01), but with a non-significant difference in emotional reactions (F=3.60, p=0.06) and language ability (F=2.06, p=0.626). Patients with other neurological disorders, visual, auditory, or motor impairments were excluded from the study, and the study had a dropout rate that we considered low given the duration of the study.…”