| At a glance: National Autistic Society (NAS) EarlyBird program |
Type of therapy
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Family-based
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The claim
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Promotes communication
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Suitable for
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Children with autism
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Research rating
Find out more about this rating system in our FAQs. |
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Time
Estimate of the total time for family in hours per week and duration. |
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The parent training program requires three hours per week for three months. Skills learned in the program need to be applied on an ongoing basis. |
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Cost
Estimate of cost to family per session/item or week. |
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The program is not offered in Australia, so there is no information available on costs. |
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This program is not available in Australia in this form. It might be offered as part of a service within Australia or in a modified form. Your local autism advisor might be able to help you find out more.
About this intervention
What is it?
The National Autistic Society (NAS) EarlyBird program is a short-term early intervention for children with autism. The program focuses on equipping parents with the skills and confidence to promote their child’s communication and manage difficult behaviours.
Who is it for?
The EarlyBird program is for parents of preschool children (usually aged four and under) who have been diagnosed with autism. Ideally, the program should be started as soon as possible after receiving a diagnosis of autism.
What is it used for?
The program aims to:
- provide support to parents following their child’s diagnosis of autism
- teach parents how to improve their child’s communication skills
- help parents understand and manage their child’s behaviour
- reduce the stress parents might be feeling.
Where does it come from?
The NAS EarlyBird program was developed in 1997 in the UK.
What is the idea behind it?
Many children with autism have difficulties with communication and behaviour. These can be difficult to address with standard parenting techniques. The EarlyBird program aims to teach parents to understand their child’s difficulties and promote improvements in behaviour and communication. Support for parents is also a central part of the program.
This approach includes elements of several other autism interventions, including:
What does it involve?
This is a short-term intervention, lasting three months. Parents attend a group training session each week (usually 2.5-3.5 hours per session). These sessions are run by a NAS-trained educator who teaches parents about autism and ways to promote their children’s communication. Parents also learn how to manage and prevent difficult behaviours. These group sessions typically include six families (children do not attend).
The NAS educator also visits the families at home. Often, the educator video-records how things are working between parents and child. The educator then provides feedback while watching the video with parents.
The overall aim is to teach parents to implement the program themselves at home.
Cost considerations
This program is not offered in Australia, so no cost information is available.
Does it work?
This therapy has not yet been rated. Recent research – including studies evaluating the approach in New Zealand – have shown promising results.
Who practises this method?
Practitioners are educators who have trained at the NAS EarlyBird Centre in the UK.
Parent education, training, support and involvement
Parent education, training and support are provided through the program. Parents are expected to be actively involved, attending the program for the full three months before applying the skills at home.
Where can I find a practitioner?
This program is not currently available in Australia. A list of EarlyBird licensed teams based in the UK and overseas can be found on the National Autistic Society website.
