Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism: Promoting Language, Learning, and Engagement

by Sally J. Rogers, Geraldine Dawson

From leading authorities, this state-of-the-art manual presents the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), the first comprehensive, empirically tested intervention specifically designed for toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Supported by the principles of developmental psychology and applied behavior analysis, ESDM’s intensive teaching interventions are delivered within play-based, relationship-focused routines. The manual provides structured, hands-on strategies for working with very young children in individual and group settings to promote development in such key domains as imitation; communication; social, cognitive, and motor skills; adaptive behavior; and play.

Implementing individualized treatment plans for each child requires the use of an assessment tool, the Early Start Denver Model Curriculum Checklist for Young Children with Autism. A nonreproducible checklist is included in the manual for reference, along with instructions for use; 8½" x 11" checklists are sold separately in sets of 15 ready-to-use booklets.

See also the authors' related parent guide, An Early Start for Your Child with Autism .
 

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder

297 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to early intervention approaches for a non-specialist in behavioral therapy, yet satisfying for someone who might be a specialist in related topics.

Videos on youtube are a great companion for the book, giving a sense of what these approaches look like in practice, e.g.,
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9idgY...
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPfEr...

Like other reviewers have pointed out, the ESDM is a therapeutic mashup of other techniques, modified to be suitable particularly for an autism population and/or children 5 years or younger. It's a mixture of concepts from ABA & PRT most principally, so far as I can tell.

Principle caveat, in my opinion: the data demonstrating the efficacy of the ESDM is still in very very early days. There has been a randomized clinical trial (but not yet replicated by an independent group), which involved intensive therapy over 2 years (25 hrs/week, one-on-one). Treatment group sizes are in the 20s, and no explicit data yet (at least by the time the book was published) about (1) how ESDM stacks up against other approaches -- the "bake-off", (2) how long the effects last, (3) what factors are likely to determine whether or not the ESDM will be successfully implemented.

Sally Rogers is part of the UC Davis MIND consortium.

There may be some moneymaking aspects to this and other autism therapies to be cautious about -- but I'd recommend this to any developmental psychologist who wants to get a sense of what people are doing in the more applied/clinical side of the world.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Early Start Denver Model is based on ABA. The strategies promoted by this method have been shown to be harmful to autistic people, and are not based on an accurate understanding of autism itself.

[JIA QIU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough on implementing Denver Model in a classroom or for individual intervention.

[Alyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was thorough. The authors did not let bias affect their presentation of the facts. It was very informative, and I use a lot of the knowledge I gained from this book in my profession.