At the heart of the ESDM is the empirical knowledgebase of infant-toddler learning and development and the effects of early autism. ESDM intervention is provided in the home by trained therapists and parents during natural play and daily routines. ESDM is a relationship-based intervention and meets the parent and family involvement; An Early Start for your Child with Autism, is a parent's guide to using everyday activities to help kids connect, communicate, and learn. The aim of ESDM is to increase the rates of the development in all domains for children with autism as it simultaneously aims to decrease the symptoms of autism. In particular, this intervention focuses on boosting children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and language, as development in these domains is particularly affected by autism. ESDM also uses a data-based approach and empirically supported teaching practices that have been found effective from research in applied behavior analysis. ESDM fuses behavioral, relationship-based, and a developmental, play-based approach into an integrated whole that is completely individualized and yet standardized.
