This study focuses on Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disabilities that affect 1 to 2.5% of children in the general population (Baio and Baio, 2012, Kim et al., 2011). Various approaches to treatment attempt to palliate the symptoms of autism and to establish more typical academic, daily living, social, and verbal repertoires. Over the last decades a myriad of psychosocial and educational interventions have been developed. For instance, the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks, the largest funders of autism research, have provided support to Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), animal-assisted therapy, floortime, sensory integration therapy, Early Start Denver Model, Picture Exchange Communication System, Relationship Development Intervention, parent-training models, and applied behavior analysis, to mention only a few approaches to treatment (Autism Speaks, 2012, National Institutes of Health, 2011). These interventions vary in their conceptual basis, procedures, targeted repertoires and skills, and in the quality, magnitude and relevance of the empirical evidence they have accrued over the years. Among these various approaches, only a few have generated a sufficient number of clinical trials to allow for meta-analyses and systematic reviews. For instance, four meta-analyses have been published on interventions based on applied behavior analysis.
Reference link- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735813000937
