Intensive intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: comparison of three rehabilitation treatments

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions, characterised by difficulties in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviours and interests. There are several rehabilitative interventions for individuals with ASD but the evidence of their effectiveness is low or moderate overall. The transition phase of ASD individuals from adolescence to adulthood represents an important challenge. Adults with ASD struggle to access employment or independent living. Methods: In our study, we evaluated the effect of three different high-intensity interventions, namely Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication-Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and Behavioural Educational Intervention (BEI), in 93 ASD (levels 2 and 3) adolescents (age range 12–18 years). Results: Our results showed that all adolescents with ASD reported an improvement of core symptoms, regardless of the type of treatment. Conclusions: A high intensity intervention ameliorates the core symptoms of ASD, enriching evidence of effectiveness regarding adolescents with ASD.KEY POINTS Individuals with ASD need lifespan support and they struggle to access employment, independent living and community inclusion. There are several rehabilitative interventions for individuals with ASD but the evidence of their effectiveness in adolescents is insufficient. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible enhancement produced by three intensive interventions (ABA, TEACCH, BEI) of symptom severity and adaptive functions. Results show that independently of the treatment, individuals with ASD decrease in ASD severity. Individuals who were treated with the BEI and TEACCH programmes reported improvements in the adaptive domains.