Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Early Intervention Strategies

Abstract

Language and communication differences are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but intervention studies vary in age, treatment intensity, comparator, and outcome measurement. This systematic review evaluated early language and communication interventions for children with ASD. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched in March 2026 for peer-reviewed English-language studies published from 2000 through 2024 using combinations of autism, child, early intervention, receptive language, expressive language, speech therapy, applied behavior analysis, play-based intervention, Early Start Denver Model, augmentative and alternative communication, and social communication terms. The preserved study-selection records contained six candidate reports, which were re-screened against an ASD-specific primary-intervention eligibility framework. Four primary studies were retained, representing 183 participants across the four studies. Two randomized controlled trials reported moderate or small-to-moderate effects on pragmatic-language performance (d = 0.57) and child utterance frequency (d = 0.42), while two behavioral-education studies reported positive language or communication changes with greater methodological limitations. Because outcomes, designs, and effect estimates were not sufficiently comparable, no pooled meta-analysis was performed. Early intervention may support language and communication in children with ASD, but the evidence does not establish superiority of one broad intervention category.