The US Surgeon General recommends intensive behavior therapy (ABA) based on research demonstrating the effectiveness of such programs.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec6.html#autism
Autism
Treatment
Because autism is a severe, chronic developmental
disorder, which results in significant lifelong disability, the goal of
treatment is to promote the child’s social and language development and
minimize behaviors that interfere with the child’s functioning and
learning. Intensive, sustained special education programs and behavior
therapy early in life can increase the ability of the child with autism
to acquire language and ability to learn. Special education programs in
highly structured environments appear to help the child acquire
self-care, social, and job skills. Only in the past decade have studies
shown positive outcomes for very young children with autism. Given the
severity of the impairment, high intensity of service needs, and costs
(both human and financial), there has been an ongoing search for
effective treatment.
Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior. A well-designed study of a psychosocial intervention was carried out by Lovaas and colleagues (Lovaas, 1987; McEachin et al., 1993). Nineteen children with autism were treated intensively with behavior therapy for 2 years and compared with two control groups. Followup of the experimental group in first grade, in late childhood, and in adolescence found that nearly half the experimental group but almost none of the children in the matched control group were able to participate in regular schooling. Up to this point, a number of other research groups have provided at least a partial replication of the Lovaas model (see Rogers, 1998).
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