The Committee reviewed ten comprehensive programs chosen after the application of strict selection criteria. For a full description, please go to the text at http://www.nap.edu. The comprehensive programs address the social, cognitive, behavioural, and motor problems frequently seen in autism spectrum disorders. Most describe similar interventions in these domains.

Conclusions:

These programs were characterized by the following features:

• Most children are reported to have done well across all or most domains.
• The interventions are begun early
• The interventions are individualized
• The intervention is intensive in terms of the number of hours per week (20 to 45).
• Families are involved in the learning process
• Staff have specialized training in autism
• Each child is subjected to repeated tests to measure their progress
• There is consistent routine and planned classroom programming
• There is a focus on the development of communication, play, social interaction, as well as on academic skills.

Recommendations:

• Because of the methodological limitations of the studies, research using a comparison group needs to be conducted to ensure that the claims made for the programs are due to the intervention itself, and not to other factors, such as the child’s maturational process.