Autism is a neurological disorder that affects how the brain collects information and organizes it between the synapses in the brain.  Autism can cause severe delays in communication, social interaction, and disabilities in learning information.   Some characteristics of Autism are repetitive behavior, decreased eye contact, unresponsitivity to some emotions, and decreased nonverbal communication. (1)  The diagnosis of autism is on the rise due to the awareness and the age (typically before three years) in which symptoms start becoming recognizable. Since autism is a developmental disorder, a preferred method of treatment is educational curriculum for both family and the individual.

Geraldine Dawson has developed a curriculum to help bridge the learning gap of children with mild autism.  The Early Start Denver Model consists of children who are 18 months old and work with trained counselors twice a day for two hour sessions, five days a week.  Once these individuals received two years of training, their IQ was tested.  Findings showed an average improvement of 17.6 points. This led Dawson to theorize that since there was an improvement in IQ, there must also be an improvement in brain activity.  Dawson selected a group of 48 toddlers with autism who were between the ages of 18 months and three years of age.  The group was divided into 2 controlled groups in which one trained using the ESDM while the other was trained with traditional educational methods. Electroencephalography readings were taken of each group after two years of training.  Most findings report that the brain becomes highly active when looking at a toy versus a human face.  However, individuals who received the ESDM showed exact opposite.  The results closely resembled the brain waves of an individual that is not diagnosed with autism. (2)

Autism affects not only the individual but the family as whole.  This curriculum offers hope to improve the learning and recognition factors associated with this developmental disorder.  It also helps the science community to display the plasticity of the brain and how it can be redirected toward normal development.  ESDM can offer an individual with autism a better way to communicate and recognize different individuals, as well as improve their learning capabilities.  Unfortunately, it is not a cure, but a very effective tool to improve the overall lives of families affected.

1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 26 June 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Management .
2. Park, Alice. “Behavior Therapy Normalizes brains of Autistic Children”.  Time Magazine Health & Family. 26 October 2012. Web. 26 June 2013. http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/26/behavior-therapy-normalizes-brains-of-autistic-children/ .