Researchers know early intervention is the key to better outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders, but they say the effectiveness of intervention with very young children is not yet known.

The grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health is designed to help researchers discover how effective early intervention is for children diagnosed with autism by the time they are 18 months old.

The study -- described as one of the largest of its kind and one of the first to explore intervention in children that young -- will be led by FSU Professor Amy Wetherby and UM Professor Catherine Lord who will recruit 100 children younger than 20 months who have been diagnosed with autism.

Parents of 16- to 20-month-old children suspected of having autism and who want to participate in the study should call the FSU First Words Project at 850-488-5780 or the UM Autism and Communication Disorders Center at 743-936-8600.