Positive Behavior Support And Early Intervention For Young Children With Autism: Case Studies On The Efficacy Of Proactive Treatment Of Problem Behavior

The number of children with autism is increasing dramatically and having a tremendous impact on the resources attached to every type of service and support that include young children (e.g., health, child care, school). The most recent numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007 reports that the prevalence of autism is 1 in 150 live births. Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that children who receive this diagnosis differ dramatically in their abilities, preferences, needs, and area of delay. There is no “typical” child with autism; there is no one right way of educating a child with autism; and every child with autism and the child's family brings a unique story to the early intervention process, and that story must be woven into the fabric of intervention and support for the process to be successful. Positive behavior support (PBS) offers early intervention providers with a set of tools and a process that can serve as the centerpiece of an effective intervention program for young children with autism and their families. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a description of how PBS and early intervention for children with autism converge philosophically and procedurally. Then, we provide two examples of comprehensive evidencebased intervention programs for young children with autism and describe how these programs have used PBS to facilitate positive outcomes for young children with autism across developmental domains. Finally, we provide case study examples from these comprehensive programs that highlight the merger of PBS with early intervention for young children with autism.