An outpatient treatment program for young children with pervasive developmental disorder

Clinical experiences with some fourteen young children (under 3 1/2 years) suffering from pervasive developmental disorder led to the design of an outpatient treatment program. The conceptual basis for the program was facilitated by two important changes in theory. The first was a shift in our understanding of infancy, based on observations rather than reconstruction from adult and child analysis; the second was the gradual evolvement in our understanding of this disorder. The treatment program has three components: (1) a prolonged period of parent-child or adult-child interactions aimed at attracting the attention of the child and helping him or her develop imitations, interaction, and communication; (2) intense instruction, with the help of an occupational therapist, designed to teach the child basic life skills such as eating, dressing and undressing, and toilet training; and (3) exposure to normal social interactions with other children within a day-care or preschool facility to encourage joining in the usual childhood activities. The success of the program depends heavily on coordination among all the people involved: ideally they should include the parents, speech therapist, occupational therapist, teachers, child-care worker, and clinician.