Home intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Development of children with autistic spectrum disorder and improving their quality of life require interventions and therapies that should best start at an early age. This study provides an insight into therapeutic interventions at home in children with autistic spectrum disorders and their effectiveness and impact on children and their families. In search of related articles, we used the PubMed database accessible via the Internet. Articles were selected by the following keywords: child, autism, and home intervention, taking in consideration those published in the last 10 years, yielding a total of 50 articles. Of 50 articles, the articles that did not meet inclusion criteria were excluded, thus 15 articles were reviewed. Excluded were articles that did not meet the following inclusion criteria: 1) behavioral therapy conducted; 2) diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders; 3) number of participants in the study more than 10; 4) original research work; and 5) participants were children. All studies indicated an improvement in the development of children, especially if therapy started at an early age, although some studies show a negative impact on the families of children with autism. The review demonstrated predominantly positive effects.