CDC Kerala 8: Effectiveness of a Clinic Based, Low Intensity, Early Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in India: A Naturalistic Observational Study

Objective To document the effectiveness of low intensity, clinic based intervention models for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in countries with low disability resources. Methods Thirty-nine participants with a mean (SD) of 36.03(11.15) mo were assessed before and after intervention with Childhood Autism rating scale (CARS), and at baseline with the Denver Developmental Screening Test for quantifying the effectiveness of the clinic-based intervention in ameliorating autism symptoms and studying the effect of developmental disability respectively. Developmental therapists in the clinic gave low-intensity group intervention for 45–60 min to the child through mother and encouraged to continue the training, for 3–4 h, at home to address the specific goals in the three ASD symptom clusters. Most of the children were also placed in play-schools. Follow-up support was given either on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. Data was analyzed using appropriate bivariate and multivariate techniques. Results There was amelioration in the severity of autism after intervention, which was statistically and clinically significant. Intervention was useful to help children with mild to severe autism. Conclusions Low-intensity, clinic-based intervention can be effectively used in situation where there is paucity of disability resources.