Abstract
The outcomes of a home-based early intervention for families with children with develop-mental disabilities were examined. Data on total developmental quotient (DQ), language comprehension, and language expression were collected from 19 children (14 boys, 5 girls; average age, 3.3 years; age range 2.5-4.2 years) in 18 families. A checklist about the children's language performance, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and a questionnaire about home-based intervention were completed by family members. The children were given behavior therapy training in their homes for about 2 years. Of the 19 children, 11 acquired skills of basic language comprehension, naming, and mands; the total DQ increased in 8 children, including 5 who gained more than 75 points in their DQ scores. The language comprehension mental age (MA) increased more than 10 months in 17 of the children, and the MA in language expression, by more than 10 months in 12 of them. The correlation between changes in developmental quotient (i.e., pre-post DQ difference) and CARS scores was large (γ =0.61). The results showed that the training facilitated language development in many of the children, whether or not they had been diagnosed as autistic, although those with more severe autism had smaller gains in DQ. The results were discussed in relation to the significance of family support and early home-based intervention.
