At what age should a child begin intensive early behavior therapy?
Studies indicate that children make the greatest progress most rapidly when beginning therapy around 2-3 years of age, as opposed to beginning later (e.g. 4-5 years old). This may be for two reasons. First, by the time a child is 4-5 years old they have developed strongly ingrained, often maladaptive ways of coping with their deficits that have to be unlearned before they can learn more appropriate skills. Secondly, the period of most rapid formation of new brain connections is from 1-4 years of age, which makes it easier to learn new skills during that time period. Generally speaking, IEBT does not begin beyond 5 years of age.
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