New practice guidelines have been released in an effort to improve the quality of life in children struggling with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).
"More children than ever are being diagnosed with autism," Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) director Samuel L. Odom, said in a news release. "We're catching them earlier, with better tools, and these children need the right services."
ASD tends to cost money, about 3.2 million dollars per case; early detection and "effective intervention" could help reduce the cost by up to two-thirds.
"Some interventions may seem cutting-edge, but we don't yet know if they have any drawbacks or trade-offs," FPG investigator Connie Wong, said. "Our report only includes what's tried and true."
"These evidence-based practices are extremely valuable," Charlotte Crane, an autism consulting teacher and board certified behavior analyst for Loudoun County Public Schools, said in the news release. "This report gives us all a way to speak the same language and provide consistent research-based interventions."
The researchers looked at 29,000 articles about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to make their recommendations.
The team dropped one evidence-based practice of 24 that were pinpointed back in 2008. They also broadened one category and added five additional ones.
"Expanding the list offers more tools to educators and service providers," Kristine Ganley, a training and technical assistance provider at George Mason University. "This improves outcomes for children with ASD."
The team hopes their research will help parents make the best decisions for their children.
"Knowledge is power. Knowing what works has given us the upper hand in acquiring appropriate therapy and tools." Allison Smith, a "mother of identical twin four-year-old boys with autism," said in the news release.
The NPDC's list helped her children learn how to blow feathers, this is often seen as the first step towards learning to talk.
"They couldn't learn how to blow a feather until they watched their older brother doing it on video," Smith said. "But it only took a few viewings of the short clip before both boys got it."
"Being able to research the practices and then try them took a lot of guess work out of the process," said Smith. "If there was no review of evidence-based practices, a lot of children would be without the interventions and services that are most appropriate for them," she said.
