H Has a teacher ever come to you with concerns that she does not know how to teach a student with ASD? She may be overwhelmed after hours of online research and not know which intervention she should try. Or has a parent ever shared her excitement over her son’s progress, but when you try to determine what to attribute the improvement to, you hear about ABA programming, speech therapy, auditory integration training, vitamin supplements, and more? It can be difficult to know how to allot time and finances if you don’t have documentation of which strategies are directly improving the students’ skills. These are just two examples of the importance of recognizing scientifically validated strategies and collecting data during intervention to measure progress.
Evidence-based Practices for Autism
of evidence supporting each methodology (specifically for students with ASD). In some cases, proponents of an approach claim to have research support, but upon closer examination, they are referring to vague testimonials that fall short of substantiating their claims. According to federal criteria, “scientifically based research” has a specific research design, has been replicated, and has been peer reviewed by independent experts before publication. “Research- based practices” have been studied, but not with the quality indicators of scientifically based research. In other words, there may be a single case study or poor design that does not demonstrate a direct link between behavior and intervention. “Evidence- based practice” refers to the research’s type (replicated, quantitative, measurable effects, clear causality) and magnitude (amount of studies). Federal and state legislation reflect the importance of applying scientifically based research in our schools. Not only should the selected teaching strategies have research support, but their implementation in your school should have high treatment fidelity, meaning that they are applied in the manner designed. Interventions are only scientifically validated if they are implemented according to the researched protocols. For example, if a teacher who says he uses PECS in his class posts picture symbols everywhere rather than following that specific communication methodology, he is not “doing PECS.” All staff members conducting an intervention must be thoroughly trained so they can apply it as intended or it may not be successful. Hands-on consultation may be necessary to reach this level of proficiency. Once an intervention has been selected, data collection and analysis will be required so you can be sure the methodology is helping each particular student. Progress may be very slow, but well-designed records can illustrate whether there is small but steady improvement, no effect, or a negative
Unfortunately, autism intervention has become a business, as evidenced by the conflicting claims and testimonials ever- present in the media. You need accurate and unbiased information to make curricular and financial decisions and lead your teams. While it is possible that individuals may respond to unsubstantiated interventions, it is highly probable that they will respond to scientifically validated strategies. Providing these supports most effectively allots your district’s financial resources and your staff’s emotional resources, time, and energy. It also prevents the staff from unintentionally wasting instructional time that could be better spent on proven methods. When deciding on a methodology for your programs, there are two key questions to answer. Which interventions have been established as the most effective for the majority of individuals with autism? And which are likely to be the most effective for a specific student? It is of the utmost importance to look at credible research findings and then monitor each student’s progress or lack thereof with any strategy the team selects.
The first step, evaluating intervention options, requires analysis of the quality
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