The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is the first comprehensive, naturalistic, developmental–behavioral, empirically tested intervention specifically designed for infants displaying early signs of autism and young autistic children. Used worldwide, this trusted resource is now in a thoroughly revised second edition, reflecting key advances in early intervention research and practice.

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Leading experts Sally J. Rogers and Geraldine Dawson guide practitioners to assess and support all aspects of children’s development—including social communication, language, cognition, imitation, and play. The manual is grounded in state-of-the art findings from the developmental, clinical, and learning sciences. The companion website provides details about the ESDM Fidelity Rating System and a summary of key intervention strategies.

The Early Start Denver Model Curriculum Checklist for Infants and Young Autistic Children, Second Edition is sold separately as a set of 15 Checklists, each a 16-page two-color booklet. It is used to comprehensively assess children’s skills across multiple developmental domains and to establish individualized teaching objectives and plans.

New to This Edition

• Chapters on what to do when a child’s progress is concerning, partnering with families, and implementation of ESDM in different countries and cultures.
• Significant new research on brain development and how it differs in autism.
• Updated and comprehensive approach to promoting language development, with increased attention to alternative and augmentative communication strategies.
• New and revised decision trees and expanded efficacy research.
• Focus on promoting autistic children’s development from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective.

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"Rogers and Dawson are true giants in the field of autism and state-of-the-art intervention—and this book demonstrates why. ESDM is clearly and methodically presented in a way that is readily accessible to clinicians, researchers, and educators....Anyone involved in the study or treatment of young children with autism must have this book in their library."

  — Laura Schreibman, PhD, University of California, San Diego

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Sally J. Rogers, PhD, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the MIND Institute, UC Davis Health, University of California, Davis. Geraldine Dawson, PhD, is the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Professor of Pediatrics, and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, and is founding Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development.