Assessment of a Long-Term Developmental Relationship-Based Approach in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

90 Italian children (72 boys, 18 girls) with a diagnosis of infantile autism (age range = 2.5–16.5 yr.) were assessed with a non-verbal intelligence test (Leiter–R). The test was repeated 3 times in four years. The measures used were IQ and Fluid Reasoning (FR), as evaluation of inductive and deductive reasoning, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), indicative of the severity of autistic symptoms at the beginning and at the end of therapy. The increase in the average IQ and FR scores at retests demonstrates the effectiveness of a treatment that emphasizes the centrality of the relationship-based approach. Moreover, the FR score at intake was predictive of a significant decrease of ADOS scores after four years of treatment, and of the increase in IQ observed in later evaluations. The data support the hypothesis that a relationship-based intervention allows cognitive improvement regardless of the autism severity expressed in the ADOS score.