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Comprehensive Synthesis of Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions for Young Children with Autism Based on the UCLA Young Autism Project Model

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Abstract

A 3-part comprehensive synthesis of the early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism based on the University of California at Los Angeles Young Autism Project method (Lovaas in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3–9, 1987) is presented. The three components of the synthesis were: (a) descriptive analyses, (b) effect size analyses, and (c) a meta-analysis. The findings suggest EIBI is an effective treatment, on average, for children with autism. The conditions under which this finding applies and the limitations and cautions that must be taken when interpreting the results are discussed within the contextual findings of the moderator analyses conducted in the meta-analysis.

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Notes

  1. Unless otherwise noted, analyses were done using the data from the 14 distinct samples [i.e., the data from the two groups of the Sallows and Graupner (2005) study were treated separately]. When analyses were done using the data on the 13 studies, it is indicated as such.

  2. Because the data on these measures for each sample of the Sallows and Graupner (2005) study were not reported separately for these constructs, they were analyzed as an aggregated sample.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Pat Snyder for her statistical consultation, Ann Kaiser, Craig Kennedy, and Mark Lipsey for their review of earlier drafts of this manuscript, and Erin Barton and Matthew Busick for their assistance with interobserver agreement. This project was supported by the US Department of Education Office of Special Education through an ESCE Doctoral Leadership Training Grant (H325D030012).

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Correspondence to Brian Reichow.

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Reichow, B., Wolery, M. Comprehensive Synthesis of Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions for Young Children with Autism Based on the UCLA Young Autism Project Model. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 23–41 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0596-0

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