Therapies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Evidence Table. Therapies for children with ASD (continued)
Study
Inclusion/ Exclusion
Description Intervention
Criteria/ Population
G3: 13 G1: 2.83 ± 0.6
G2: 3.1 ± 0.6
G3: 3.1 ± 1.0
Author:
Whalen et al.,
2010
Country:
US (CA)
Practice
setting:
Specialized school
program
Intervention
setting:
Classroom
Enrollment
period:
NR
Funding:
Agency/NR
Design: RCT
(randomized by
classroom, no
individual
randomization)
Intervention:
TeachTown: Basics is a
computer-assisted
intervention (CAI) with
supplementary offcomputer
activities. This
intervention was
implemented for 3 months
and consisted of 20
minutes/day on the
computer and 20
minutes/day in
supplementary activities.
8 classrooms in 4 schools
were randomly assigned
to standard teaching or to
TeachTown: Basics .
Groups:
G1a: TeachTown: Basics
Preschool, school 1
G1b: TeachTown: Basics
K-1, school 1
G1c: TeachTown: Basics
Preschool, school 2
G1d: TeachTown: Basics
K-1, school 2
G2a: Control, Preschool,
school 3
G2b: Control, K-1, school
3G2c: Control, Preschool,
school 4
G2d: Control, K-1, school
4
Provider:
• Teacher
Treatment manual
followed:
No
Family tutors, mean n ±
SD:
G1: 0.50 ± 0.9
G2: 0
G3: 0.6 ± 0.8
Service providers, n
G1: 5
G2: 2
G3: 1
Inclusion criteria:
• Children aged 3-6 years
with autism
• Attended Los Angeles
Unified School District’s
Intensive
Comprehensive Autism
Program (ICAP)
Exclusion criteria:
See inclusion criteria
Age, in years (range):
3-6
Mental age: NR
Gender: NR
Race/ethnicity: NR
SES:
Maternal education: NR
Household income: NR
Diagnostic approach:
NR
Diagnostic tool/method:
Diagnostic method NR;
CARS administered by
each child’s teacher for
measurement of disease
severity
Diagnostic category, n
(%):
Autism: 47 (100)
Other characteristics:
NR
C-26
Baseline
Measures Outcomes
hrs/week, r 2 =
0.10)
G3: Negative
(gains = 18.1-
0.50, r 2 = 0.21)
CARS score,
mean:
G1: 42
G1a: 33
G1b: 39
G1c: 44
G1d: 52
G2: 43
G2a: 45
G2b: 37
G2c: 45
G2d: 45
Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test
(PPVT), mean:
G1a+c: 8.82
G2a+c: 9.67
Communication/
language:
PPVT, mean:
G1a+c: 23.36
G2a+c: 14.92
P = 0.036
G1b+d vs. G2b+d
(values NR): P =
0.577
EVT: (values NR)
G1a+c vs. G2a+c:
P = 0.444
G1b+d vs. G2b+d:
P = 0.375
Brigance
Inventory of Early
Development
(values NR)
scores and
subscores: no
significant
differences
between G1 and
G2
Significant
correlation
between number
of lessons
mastered in G1
with overall prepost
change in
Brigance score (P
= 0.042)
Harms
NR