Case report: Preemptive intervention for an infant with early signs of autism spectrum disorder during the first year of life

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Psychiatry

Flavia Lecciso¹  Raffaella Devescovi²  Natasha Chericoni³  Costanza Colombi³  Valeria Costanzo³  Annarita Contaldo³  Caterina Pierotti³  Stefania Bargagna³  Margherita Prosperi⁴ 

[1] Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Apulia, Italy;Institute for Maternal and Child Health Burlo Garofolo (IRCCS), Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy;Stella Maris Foundation (IRCCS), Calambrone, Italy;UFSMIA Valdera-Alta Val di Cecina, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy;

关键词: preemptive intervention;    parent mediated intervention;    ESDM;    autism spectrum disorder;    early development;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1105253

 received in 2022-11-22, accepted in 2023-04-07,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes neurodevelopmental conditions traditionally considered to bring life long disabilities, severely impacting individuals and their families. Very early identification and intervention during the very first phases of life have shown to significantly diminish symptom severity and disability, and improve developmental trajectories. Here we report the case of a young child showing early behavioral signs of ASD during the first months of life, including diminished eye contact, reduced social reciprocity, repetitive movements. The child received a pre-emptive parent mediated intervention based on the Infant Start, an adaptation of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), specifically developed for children with ASD signs during the first year of life. The child here described received intervention from 6 to 32 months of age, in combination with educational services. Diagnostic evaluations performed at several time points (8, 14, 19, and 32 months) showed progressive improvements in his developmental level and ASD symptoms. Our case study supports the possibility of identifying ASD symptoms and providing services as soon as concerns emerge even during the first year of life. Our report, in combination with recent infant identification and intervention studies, suggests the need for very early screening and preemptive intervention to promote optimal outcomes.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Colombi, Chericoni, Bargagna, Costanzo, Devescovi, Lecciso, Pierotti, Prosperi and Contaldo.