Early Syntactic Development: Implementation of Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for Children with Special Needs

Abstract

The aim of this report is to observe the efficacy of the intervention of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) therapy applied in young toddlers (age 12-36) with autism and going on until ages (48-60) months to improve their cognition, social-emotional interaction, motor functioning, expressive & receptive language, self-care skills, play, and imitation. This trajectory includes an interdisciplinary approach that underlies the treatment as the curriculum of the model developed by a team of professionals from disciplines in these areas, combining developmental and clinical psychology, ABA, early childhood special education, SL-P, and OT. The ESDM methodcomprises routine learning, at a fast frequency, and is incorporated into play activitiescovering multiple objectives across developmental domains. Both parents and families are core individuals of the interdisciplinary team. The intervention with children in the ESDM is work within a family system. The result can be measured through the parent-child relationship and the parent’s satisfaction with the progression of the child, parental understanding of the child’s needs, and service manuals. The end of ESDM direct services should be a reflection on all that staff, parents, and the child has done while also carefully planning for the child's future development.