**9. The benefits of EIBI**

There is no doubt that the cost of an intensive and accomplished EIBI program is expensive. For example, cost analysis studies revealed that the average annual cost of an EIBI program in North America to be \$33,000 per year with the average duration being three years (Jacob‐ son, Mulick & Green, 1998). However, further analysis of this cost-effectiveness and saving over time has also been provided. For instance, the Autism Society of America reported in 2008 that the cost of lifelong care could be reduced by up to as much as two thirds with ear‐ ly diagnosis and EIBI.

Dillenberger (2011) provides a synopsis of recent cost-benefit analyses showing the savings that can be achieved by implementation of EIBI in autism treatment. She puts forward the following:

**1.** in Ontario, Canada, an estimated annual CA\$ 45 million can be saved if EIBI is made available to all children diagnosed with ASD (see Motiwala et al., 2006);


Based on these cost-saving analyses increasing change has been shown in policy regard‐ ing the role of EIBI in early intervention. For example, the state of Ontario in Canada, has legislated to make EIBI services available for all children diagnosed with ASD (Perry & Condillac, 2003). In the USA, 32 States have passed legislation to ensure that ABAbased interventions are either state-funded or provided through medical insurance com‐ panies (Dillenberger, 2011; Market Watch, 2012). It remains to be seen whether government policy in the United Kingdom or Ireland will catch up with that of Canada and the USA and provide government funded EIBI once children are deemed at risk for or indeed presenting with this condition. Interestingly, the use of trained volunteers to deliver EIBI has been shown to produce effective outcomes (Birnbrauer & Leach, 1993) and may be an option for some parents/services to consider when cost is an issue. Many university students who train on third level post-graduate programmes in Applied Be‐ haviour Analysis could make strong contributions in a voluntary capacity, to EIBI in au‐ tism treatment, as part of their ongoing accreditation process as Board Certified Behaviour Analysts with the international certification body (Behaviour Analyst Certifica‐ tion Board®). Alternatively providing parents of children with autism with training in behavioural interventions (demonstrated by Sallows and Graupner, 2005) can result in cost-saving and important positive outcomes for children with autism.
