| Abstract: It is widely known that Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) can produce large gains in social, cognitive, and language development. Changes in performance are typically measured using norm-referenced standardized assessment tools which produce a score of overall functioning level. During the past 15 years, Dr. Rebecca P. F. MacDonald and colleagues have developed an assessment tool for the direct measurement of autism specific symptomatology. The Early Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT) includes measures of imitation, language, joint attention, play, and stereotypic behavior (MacDonald et al., 2014). In their most recent work, 83 children with autism (CWA), ages 1, 2, and 3 years old and 58 same-aged typically developing children were assessed using the ESAT. CWA were assessed at entry into an EIBI program and again after one year of treatment. While significant gains were seen in all children across all age groups, the greatest gains were seen in the children who entered treatment before their second birthday. Long-term follow up data suggest long lasting gains in these children. These findings underscore the importance autism screening at 12 to 18 months, the critical role of pediatricians in early identification of ASD and the need for high quality EIBI for all identified children. |