Comparative analysis of early versus late interventions on language development in children with autism spectrum disorder in East Africa

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently experience significant challenges in communication, which can manifest as delays in both verbal and non-verbal skills. We did a comparative analysis of early and late interventions on language development in children with autism spectrum disorder in East Africa. We purposively selected two neurodevelopmental centers in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and 60 children between 2 and 12 years who had been on therapy for the last 12 months were selected through stratified sampling. The study used children with ASD records collected using standardized tools Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale for assessing both expressive and receptive language skills by health professionals. The findings revealed that 54.55% were below 5 years and 45.45% were 5 years and above. In terms of country of residence, 56.36% were from Kenya and 43.64% from Tanzania, while 65.45% were male and 34.55% female. For receptive language skills, the difference in average gain between early and late intervention was B = 2.89, SE = 1.32, t (106) = 2.19, p = .031. statistically significant. For expressive language, the difference in average gain between early and late intervention was the difference in gains between children in early and late intervention was not significant, B = 1.23, SE = 1.54, t (106) = 0.80, p = .427. The findings highlight the importance of effective early intervention in enhancing receptive language and cognitive skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, clinicians should prioritize early intervention strategies to develop understanding skills.