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Approximately 1 in 150 U.S. children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Applied behavioral intervention (ABI), first described in 1987, teaches appropriate behaviors to autistic children by breaking tasks down into small, discrete steps. Australian investigators conducted a meta-analysis of data from randomized and quasi-experimental trials in which ABI was compared with other interventions for preschool children (age range, 18 months–6 years) with ASD or pervasive developmental disorder. Only 4 of the 13 identified trials were considered methodologically robust and contained sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis.
Each of the four trials was small (23–28 children) and compared ABI with standard care. Cognitive, language, and …