Clinical Outreach Seminar Series Winter 2016

New insights on early learning and teaching in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Early intervention programs can be effective in addressing learning difficulties in young children with ASD. However, a number of challenges and questions remain to be addressed. What are the mechanisms underlying the learning difficulties of young children with ASD? Why is response to early intervention variable in ASD? What are the factors underlying optimal and suboptimal treatment outcomes?

We will cover recent research on the processes underpinning learning difficulties in ASD, and the factors associated with response to the Early Start Denver Model, a play-based intervention model. In particular, we will analyze the impact of age at entry, implementation fidelity, setting characteristics (inclusive versus segregated) and child characteristics related to variability in treatment-related gains.