Early Start Denver Model

The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), developed by Sally Rogers and Geraldine Dawson, is a developmental behavioral early intervention approach designed for children ages 1 to 5 years who are diagnosed with, or at risk for, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The model uses knowledge of how typical infants, toddlers, and preschoolers develop, in addition to knowledge of how ASD affects early development, to facilitate an appropriate developmental trajectory in this at-risk population. The goals of ESDM are to reduce the severity of ASD symptoms in very young children and to accelerate children’s developmental rates in a multitude of domains, including cognitive, social-emotional, and language domains. This entry discusses the foundations of ESDM and some of the key treatment strategies stemming from these foundations. The entry ...