ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1546001
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing interventions and therapeutic outcomes for autistic youth: a multidisciplinary perspectiveView all 4 articles
Longitudinal Changes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Receiving Applied Behavior Analysis or Early Start Denver Model Interventions Over Six Months
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- 2Liaocheng Second People’s Hospital, liaocheng, China
- 3Hangzhou Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang, China
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Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication difficulties, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and sensory abnormalities. The rising prevalence of ASD presents a significant public health concern, with no pharmacological treatments available for its core symptoms. Therefore, early and effective behavioral interventions are crucial to improving developmental outcomes for children with ASD. Current interventions primarily focus on educational rehabilitation methods, including Applied behavior Analysis (ABA) and the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Objective: This study aims to examine the developmental changes in children with ASD following six months of ABA therapy or ESDM intervention. Methods: From December 2021 to December 2023, 30 children receiving ABA therapy at the Zhejiang Rehabilitation Medical Center (40 minutes/session, 4 sessions/day, 5 days/week), while another 30 children undergoing ESDM training at Hangzhou Children's Hospital (2 hours of one-on-one sessions and 0.5 hours of group sessions/day, 5 days/week). Both groups participated in their respective interventions for six months. Pre-and post-treatment assessments were conducted using the Psycho-educational Profile-Third Edition (PEP-3). Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in PEP-3 scores post-treatment, including cognitive verbal/pre-verbal, expressive language, receptive language, social reciprocity, small muscles, imitation, emotional expression, and verbal and nonverbal behavioral characteristics. Conclusion: Both ABA and ESDM interventions were associated with comprehensive improvements in children with ASD over a six-month period.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intervention training, Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, Early Start Denver Model, Rehabilitation Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rehabilitation
Received: 16 Dec 2024; Accepted: 29 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Du, Yang, Wang, Lv, Zhou and Sang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hui Zhou, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Gao Sang, Hangzhou Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang, 310014, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.