Update on behavioral interventions for autism and developmental disabilities.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Interventions
• Child Psychology

Background:

• A significant increase in published behavioral interventions for children with complex learning and developmental needs necessitates a review of recent trends.
• The field predominantly focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with limited research on other developmental disorders with known etiologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the latest trends in behavioral interventions for children with complex learning and developmental needs, specifically from 2014.
• To identify shifts in research design, target populations, and emerging areas of investigation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of behavioral intervention studies published in 2014.
• Analysis of trends in intervention design, sample characteristics, and outcome measures.

Main Results:

• Intervention studies increasingly feature modular designs, comparisons of active treatments, and larger, more diverse samples.
• A notable trend is the expansion of community-implemented treatments for understudied groups, including minimally verbal children, girls, infants, and low-resource families.
• Emerging research includes pilot data on prevention strategies and neural mechanisms, though these require further investigation.

Conclusions:

• The rise in rigorous, real-world intervention testing with a focus on core deficits suggests promising widespread adoption by non-specialists.
• While promising, pilot data on prevention and mechanisms require further rigorous validation before definitive conclusions can be drawn.