What Is The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)?
The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) was designed by Sally Rogers, PhD., and Geraldine Dawson, PhD., for young children who had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The majority of intensive behaviour intervention plans are designed for school-age children and the requirements were not always appropriate for a child under the age of 6. ESDM has been researched thoroughly and shown to be effective at addressing the developmental challenges associated with autism.
Children are taught age-appropriate communication, skills, behaviours and social interactions through play-based activities. As a simplified example, if an educator therapist were working on communication with a child who loved the swings, she might take him to the park and push him on the swings. After a few swings, she would grab the swing and prompt the child to tell her to “Push” or “Go”, rewarding the child’s effort with more swinging.
Current research recommends using a group model to facilitate peer learning and social skills.
ESDM is the basis for our Comprehensive Intervention Program at Emerging Minds.