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From: NIH news releases and news items [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
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Sent: December 08, 2010 09:17
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Subject: TODDLERS WITH AUTISM SHOW IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS FOLLOWING TARGETED
INTERVENTION, FINDS NIH-SUPPORTED STUDY
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/>
Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 5 a.m. EDT
CONTACT: Karin Lee, NIMH Press Office, 301-443-4536,
<e-mail:[log in to unmask]>
TODDLERS WITH AUTISM SHOW IMPROVED SOCIAL SKILLS FOLLOWING TARGETED
INTERVENTION, FINDS NIH-SUPPORTED STUDY
Targeting the core social deficits of autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-d
evelopmental-disorders/index.shtml) in early intervention programs yielded
sustained improvements in social and communication skills even in very young
children who have ASD, according to a study funded by the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The
study was published online Dec. 8, 2010, in the Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry.
Although some research suggests that ASD may be reliably diagnosed earlier
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/half-of-children-with-autism-may-
be-diagnosable-soon-after-their-first-birthday.shtml) than the current
average age of 3 years, few interventions have been tested in children
younger than 3.
During the course of typical development, children learn to interact with
others in socially meaningful ways. Measures of social communication
include:
-- Initiation of joint attention-spontaneously directing others' attention
to something of interest, such as by pointing or holding something up to
show for social purposes rather than to ask for help
-- Affect sharing-sharing emotions with others through facial expressions
paired with eye contact
-- Socially engaged imitation-imitating others' actions while showing social
connectedness through eye contact.
Deficits in such measures are hallmark symptoms of ASD and can severely
limit a child's ability to engage in and learn from interactions with others
or from the world around them.
"This new report is encouraging, as the effects on social behavior appear to
provide a scaffold for the development of skills beyond the research
setting," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "We need better early
interventions for the core deficits of autism."
Funded through the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART)
Network
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-d
evelopmental-disorders/nih-initiatives/staart/index.shtml), Rebecca Landa,
Ph.D., of Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, and colleagues randomly
assigned 50 toddlers, ages 21-33 months old, who were diagnosed with ASD to
one of two six-month interventions: Interpersonal Synchrony (IS) or
Non-Interpersonal Synchrony (non-IS). Both interventions incorporated
classroom-based activities led by a trained intervention provider, and a
home-based component involving parents who received specialized education
and in-home training.
The interventions were designed to encourage children to make frequent and
intentional efforts to engage others in communication or play. The single
difference between interventions was that the IS group received more
opportunities for joint attention, affect sharing, and socially engaged
imitation. The toddlers were assessed at the start and end of the
intervention and again six months later.
Children in both groups made improvements in social, cognitive and language
skills during the six-month intervention period. Children who received IS
made greater and more rapid gains than those in the non-IS group. The
researchers also noted that children in the IS group used their newly
acquired abilities with different people, locations, and type of activity.
This is noteworthy because children with ASD have particular difficulty
doing so. They tend to use new skills mostly within familiar routines and
situations.
At the six-month follow-up, children in the IS group showed slower
improvements in social communication compared to when they were receiving
the intervention, but did not lose skills gained during the intervention
period. In contrast, children in the non-IS group showed reduced social
communication skills at follow-up compared to their performance during the
intervention period.
"This is the first randomized controlled trial to examine an intervention
focused on core social deficits of ASD in toddlers, and the first to show
gains in these deficits resulting from intervention," said Landa. "Though
preliminary, our findings provide promising evidence that such a
supplementary curriculum can help improve social and communication skills in
children younger than 3 who have ASD."
The researchers received additional study funding from the Health Resources
and Services Administration.
The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of
mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for
prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit the NIMH website
(http://www.nimh.nih.gov).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.
---------------------
REFERENCE:
Landa RJ, Holman KC, O'Neill AH, Stuart EA. Intervention Targeting
Development of Socially Synchronous Engagement in Toddlers with Autism
Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Ch Psychol Psychiatry.
2010 Dec 8. [epub ahead of print]
##
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<http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2010/nimh-08.htm>.
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