If you have a young child with autism, you've probably heard this over and over again: "Experts agree that early, intensive intervention is critically important." This has led a lot of parents to try everything they can as early as they can, with the hope of nipping autism in the bud. Before you start a program of early intervention, though, it's important to know -- what can early intervention really do for your child with autism?
The good news is that there is no window of opportunity for improvement that will slam shut when your child reaches kindergarten age. That means that early intervention (treatment offered prior to public school) can lead smoothly into a school-age program -- and your child will continue to grow, develop, and gain new skills.
So why the push for earlier and earlier intervention? The purpose behind early intervention, explains Terri Duncan, a speech language pathologist at Children's Autism Services of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, is to help your child establish a solid, functional communication system as early as possible. Children with autism may use speech to communicate, or they may use picture cards, signs, or assistive technology. The key is NOT that your child learn to talk per se, but that back-and-forth communication is possible.
Communication, of course, is the key to learning -- and a great deal of research has established that very young children are best able to learn communication skills. But functional communication does more than simply establish a pathway through which your child can learn. It also provides your child with a way to let others know what she needs. Once a child has the tools to manage his world -- even in the simplest way -- frustration levels drop, negative behaviors lessen and new opportunities arise to connect, engage and grow.
What does all this mean? Early intervention is key -- but NOT because it will end your child's autism, and NOT because of a fast-closing window of opportunity to growth. If your child is involved in early intervention and is gaining the skills she needs to communicate with you and others in her environment, she's in the right program. If she's gaining more, that's wonderful.
But Duncan warns that there's such a thing as too much early therapy: "You don't want to go in guns blazing...[and] drain your family's resources and exhaust your child. You certainly don't want to set your child up for failure... You can't teach kids when they're emotionally disregulated, nor can you teach a child when they're screaming and crying." In short, one of the keys to successful early intervention is... moderation.
Sources:
Landa R. Early communication development and intervention for children with autism. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2007;13(1):16-25.
Smith VK, Dillenbeck A. Developing and implementing early intervention plans for children with autism spectrum disorders. Semin Speech Lang. 2006 Feb;27(1):10-20.
Interview with Terri Duncan, Speech Language Pathologist,
Children's Autism Services of Edmonton. February, 2008.
