Discussion of General Findings (For All Participants)

*It should be noted that the purpose of this research was not to compare the participants to one another in order to determine who had the most success with performance and who responded best to intervention. The purpose of this study was to compare each participant to himself or herself at different times in the intervention process (before and after intervention began) to determine if skill acquisition was achieved over time and if DTT was an effective instructional method for this population.

      The results indicate that DTT met the criteria for teaching short-term objectives and specific skills for toddlers with autism spectrum disorders and developmental delays. Participant’s baseline, intervention, and prompting data indicate that Connor, as well as the other participants, made progress with skill acquisition after DTT intervention began. More specifically, Connor received intervention for the most amount of skills and achieved more skills as a whole, as he has spent the longest time in the early intervention program. The length of time in the educational program directly affects skill acquisition, as the more time enrolled in the program, the more opportunities for exposure to intervention and achievement. 
      It is also important to note that the results indicated some regression occurred during the intervention. However, this is not considered abnormal. According to the early intervention program's head teacher and program coordinator, it is possible for young children with autism spectrum disorders and developmental delays to experience some regression when developing skills. It is also important to consider possible factors that may result in student regression, such as student age, presence of a disability or delay, breaks in school, absences/inconsistencies in attendance, and a limited exposure to intervention.

      After these possible factors were considered and after individual results were analyzed, the head teacher in the early intervention classroom and the program coordinator evaluated the results for validity and to determine if individual progress was made. It was reported that Connor, as well as the other participants, achieved gradual progress in skill acquisition over time and achieved maintenance of skills learned over time, indicating that DTT intervention was effective for each participant. It was also reported that some regression with this population is not unusual when developing new skills.
      At the conclusion of the intervention research period, results indicated that Connor (and the other participants) displayed incremental improvement in the acquisition of targeted skill areas based on the length of time exposed to the DTT intervention and the ability level of each child. The fact that the participants included in this research are very young and that they do not receive an extensive amount of intervention per week indicates why progress is slow and gradual. Even though student progress for this population was more gradual and slower than it would be for older children, progress in skill performance was still achieved, as well as maintenance of skills learned. Based on this study’s findings, DTT should be considered an effective intervention strategy for optimizing skill acquisition with developmentally disabled toddlers.