Delay to Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention and Educational Outcomes for a Medicaid-Enrolled Cohort of Children with Autism.
Adele F Dimian, Frank J Symons, Jason J Wolff
PMID 32642958WHAT IT FOUND
Longer delays to start intensive behavioral intervention were linked to fewer general education placements and lower math scores, but not reading scores.
Speech therapy receipt was also associated with lower odds of general education placement, suggesting service mix matters alongside timing.
Key findings
01For every additional month of delay to starting intensive behavioral intervention, the odds of a general education placement decreased.
02Delay to intervention was significantly associated with lower mathematics scores but was not associated with reading scores.
03Children who received speech therapy services had lower odds of being placed in general education than those who did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Observational design cannot prove that delay causes poor outcomes; children with more severe symptoms may both wait longer and have worse outcomes. The study did not account for school-based early intervention services before elementary school. Quality and specific content of the EIBI services were not assessed. Data were limited to one state (Minnesota) and Medicaid-enrolled children, which may limit generalizability. Educational diagnoses in schools do not use the same criteria as medical diagnoses.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that speech therapy causes less inclusive placements. The association likely reflects that children with more significant communication difficulties are both more likely to receive speech therapy and more likely to require specialized educational settings.