effectiveness of applied behavioral analysis approach on symptoms of autism

aim and background: the main purpose of this study was to review the effectiveness of applied behavioral analysis (aba) approach on symptoms of autistic children during a five-year period. methods and materials: in this quasi-experimental study, 20 autistic children (3-7 years of age) were intervened by aba approach at isfahan center of autism for a period of five years (2007-12). gilliam autism rating scale (gars) was filled out at baseline and at the end of the five-year period. besides, the subjects were assessed by a checklist including cognitive comprehension, mathematical and verbal skills, and self-help at the beginning of the study and at the end of each year. after five years, all collected data was analyzed with spss 19 . findings: pretest and the posttest values of stereotypic behaviors, communication problems, social interactions, and gars total scores were significantly different (p < 0.001). furthermore, significant improvements in cognitive comprehension, mathematical and verbal skills, and self-help were observed after each year and at the end of the five-year period (p < 0.001). conclusions: on the whole, it can be concluded that aba-based interventions can effectively reduce symptoms of autism and increase skills.