Behavioural and Developmental Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Systematic Review

Background: Much controversy exists regarding the clinical efficacy of behavioural and developmental interventions for improving the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We conducted a systematic review to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of behavioural and developmental interventions for ASD. Methods and Findings: Comprehensive searches were conducted in 22 electronic databases through May 2007. Further information was obtained through hand searching journals, searching reference lists, databases of theses and dissertations, and contacting experts in the field. Experimental and observational analytic studies were included if they were written in English and reported the efficacy of any behavioural or developmental intervention for individuals with ASD. Two independent reviewers made the final study selection, extracted data, and reached consensus on study quality. Results were summarized descriptively and, where possible, meta-analyses of the study results were conducted. One-hundred-and-one studies at predominantly high risk of bias that reported inconsistent results across various interventions were included in the review. Meta-analyses of three controlled clinical trials showed that Lovaas treatment was superior to special education on measures of adaptive behaviour, communication and interaction, comprehensive language, daily living skills, expressive language, overall intellectual functioning and socialization. High-intensity Lovaas was superior to low-intensity Lovaas on measures of intellectual functioning in two retrospective cohort studies. Pooling the results of two randomized controlle

Maternal experience of Lego Therapy in families with children with autism spectrum conditions: What is the impact on family relationships?

This study aimed to explore mothers’ experience of implementing Lego Therapy (LeGoff, 2004) at home within the family. Following a Lego Therapy training session, mothers carried out hourly sessions with their child with an autism spectrum condition and the child’s sibling, once a week, for six weeks. Mothers were interviewed following the intervention, and the data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009). Themes emerged around improved family relationships, a positive impact on the child as an individual, and changed maternal, sibling and child perspectives. Challenging and facilitative aspects also emerged, as did some ambivalence about the impact of the intervention in the wider context. The findings are supportive of previous Lego Therapy studies and have implications for strengths-based service provision

Potential early-life predictors of dietary behaviour in adulthood: a retrospective study

This paper is in closed access.OBJECTIVE: Unnecessary dietary restraint (ie in the absence of a need to lose weight) and chronic overeating are both very unhealthy activities. As a precursor to a more involved longitudinal study, we sought to identify potential early-life predictors that merit scrutiny in this context. DESIGN: Four retrospective questionnaire studies were conducted (Study 1, N¼242; Study 2, N¼297; Study 3, N¼175; Study 4, N¼261). Female participants (18–30 y) completed measures of current dietary restraint and overeating. They also recalled experiences between 5 and 10 years of age. All were staff or students at Loughborough University (UK). RESULTS: After considering obvious sources of systematic bias, we report evidence that (i) dietary restraint is related to memories of maternal weight and dietary behaviour, and (ii) overeating and meal-size selection are both associated with memories of receiving a high-energy diet. CONCLUSION: The role of maternal factors in dietary restraint is consistent with previous research exploring the early onset of this behaviour. However, the relationship between childhood diet and overeating has not been suggested elsewhere. This is particularly important because it suggests a previously unreported correspondence between childhood experience and behaviours associated with obesity in adulthood