Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be diagnosed as early as 18 months of age. State Early Intervention (EI) programs under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are serving increasing numbers of children with ASD; however, little is known about outcomes of these services. This study evaluated the impact of EI for toddlers with ASD (n = 193) and other disabilities (n = 129) and their families, using measures that included federal Part C outcome indicators. Children with ASD showed reduced maladaptive behaviors and improved social and communication skills on the PDD Behavior Inventory; some also made progress on the Part C child outcome indicators. Families of children with ASD reported that EI helped them achieve many outcomes identified as important to families participating in EI. Results provide a rich description of outcomes experienced by children with ASD and their families in one of the largest EI programs in the United States. Implications for results-driven accountability and future research are discussed.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍幼儿及其家庭的早期干预结果

自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 最早可在 18 个月大时被诊断出来。根据《残疾人教育法》(IDEA) C 部分制定的州早期干预 (EI) 计划正在为越来越多的 ASD 儿童提供服务；然而，人们对这些服务的结果知之甚少。本研究使用包括联邦 C 部分结果指标在内的措施，评估了 EI 对患有 ASD（n = 193）和其他残疾（n = 129）的幼儿及其家人的影响。在 PDD 行为量表中，ASD 儿童的适应不良行为减少，社交和沟通技巧得到改善；一些还在 C 部分儿童成果指标上取得了进展。患有 ASD 儿童的家庭报告说，EI 帮助他们实现了许多被认为对参与 EI 的家庭很重要的结果。结果提供了对 ASD 儿童及其家人在美国最大的 EI 计划之一中所经历的结果的丰富描述。讨论了对结果驱动的问责制和未来研究的影响。