Doctor says some children with autism can recover after intervention treatments

By Staff Writer

A recent study reveals that autistic children are capable of recovering or of making significant gains in cognitive and adaptive functioning. 

The research was released last week by Dr Doreen Granpeesheh, who is the founder of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. His three-year study evaluated the effects of a behavioral intervention technique called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) among a sample of young children with autism.

ABA combines structured teaching with play-based behavioral intervention. Granpeesheh concluded that 43 percent of the study's participants no longer display clinical symptoms of autism, and most of the patients demonstrate substantial improvements in functioning.

The doctor gave each child a test called Vineland ABC, which measures overall executive functioning, before and after the ABA treatment. A total of eight of the 14 children scored in the average range following the intervention, compared to only two out of the 14 that were in that category prior to ABA.

An average of one in 110 children in America have autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.