Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of behavior therapy on communication ability of autistic children. Methods Eighty autistic children admitted to the hospital between June 2017 and June 2019 were selected as the research subjects. They were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, with 40 cases in each group. The control group were given conventional treatment, and the observation group were given behavior therapy. The scores of the Autism Behavior Checklist(ABC), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS), the Psychoeducational Profile third edition(PEP-3) and parents' satisfaction were compared. Results There was no significant difference in ABC, CARS or PEP-3 scores between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, ABC and CARS scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group, while the PEP3 scores were significantly higher(P<0.05). The parents' satisfaction rate in the observation group(95.0%,38/40) was higher than that in the control group(77.5%,31/40)(P<0.05). Conclusion The behavior therapy for children with autism can strengthen the communication between children and the outside world, which is conducive to the healthy growth of children. It is an effective treatment for autism.

Key words: Autism, Behavior therapy, Communication ability, Children