Therapies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders - NCBI Bookshelf

Therapies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders - NCBI Bookshelf: Results:
Of 159 unique studies included, 13 were good quality, 56 were fair, and 90 poor. The antipsychotic drugs risperidone and aripiprazole demonstrate improvement in challenging behavior that includes emotional distress, aggression, hyperactivity, and self-injury, but both have high incidence of harms. No current medical interventions demonstrate clear benefit for social or communication symptoms in ASDs. Evidence supports early intensive behavioral and developmental intervention, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)/Lovaas model and Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for improving cognitive performance, language skills, and adaptive behavior in some groups of children. Data are preliminary but promising for intensive intervention in children under age 2. All of these studies need to be replicated, and specific focus is needed to characterize which children are most likely to benefit. Evidence suggests that interventions focusing on providing parent training and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for bolstering social skills and managing challenging behaviors may be useful for children with ASDs to improve social communication, language use, and potentially, symptom severity. The Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) program demonstrated some improvements in motor skills and cognitive measures. Little evidence is available to assess other behavioral interventions, allied health therapies, or complementary and alternative medicine. Information is lacking on modifiers of effectiveness, generalization of effects outside the treatment context, components of multicomponent therapies that drive effectiveness, and predictors of treatment success.