Autism Spectrum Disorder is the most prevalent
developmental disorder among children
in the US, with the Center of Disease
Control and Prevention estimating that ASD
currently affects 1 in 68 children.1 Hallmarks of
the condition are social and communicative
impairments. The former include poor eye contact
and a lack of shared enjoyment and social
reciprocity, while the latter include not responding
to your name and experiencing significant
difficulty in producing speech and in using
gestures to communicate with others. These
impairments could lead to life-long obstacles in
developing peer relations and maintaining communicative
engagements with others. If left
untreated, most children with ASD won’t live
independently as adults, incurring up to US$3.2
million per capita per year in adult care and
productivity loss.2 Although early behavioral
and educational interventions are effective in
addressing many of the core behavioral, functional,
and social deficits,3 such interventions
have traditionally required significant effort
from parents, therapists, and teachers.