Intervention Effects on Language in Children With Autism: A Project AIM Meta-Analysis

Intervention Effects on Language in Children With Autism: A Project AIM Meta-Analysis

Authors
Sandbank, M. Bottema-Beutel, K. Crowley, S. Cassidy, M. Feldman, J. I. Canihuante, M. Woynaroski, T.
Year
2020
Journal
Journal of Speech Language & Hearing Research
Volume
63
Pages
1537-1560
Purpose This study synthesized effects of interventions on language outcomes of young children (ages 0-8 years) with autism and evaluated the extent to which summary effects varied by intervention, participant, and outcome characteristics. Method A subset of effect sizes gathered for a larger meta-analysis (the Autism Intervention Meta-analysis or Project AIM) examining the effects of interventions for young children with autism, which were specific to language outcomes, was analyzed. Robust variance estimation and metaregression were used to calculate summary and moderated effects while controlling for intercorrelation among outcomes within studies. Results A total of 221 outcomes were gathered from 60 studies. The summary effect of intervention on language outcomes was small but significant. Summary effects were larger for expressive and composite language outcomes compared to receptive language outcomes. Interventions implemented by clinicians, or by clinicians and caregivers together, had summary effects that were significantly larger than interventions implemented by caregivers alone. Participants ' pretreatment language age equivalent scores positively and significantly moderated intervention effects, such that effects were significantly larger on average when samples of children had higher pretreatment language levels. Effects were not moderated by cumulative intervention intensity, intervention type, autism symptomatology, chronological age, or the proximity or boundedness of outcomes. Study quality concerns were apparent for a majority of included outcomes. Conclusions We found evidence that intervention can facilitate improvements in language outcomes for young children with autism. Effects were largest for expressive and composite language outcomes, for children with initially higher language abilities, and for interventions implemented by clinicians or by caregivers and clinicians combined. However, quality concerns of included studies and borderline significance of some results temper our conclusions regarding intervention effectiveness and corresponding moderators.

Oversett med Google Translate
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Type of intervention

Treatment and Child Welfare Interventions

Topic

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Development and Life Coping Skills

Language

Intervention

Psychosocial Treatments

Habilitation/Rehabilitation

Age group

Preschool Aged Children (3-5 years)

School Aged Children (6-12 years)

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