impact on the target skill. If there is a lack of progress, teachers need to know how to adapt the plan or to select a new option. Data collection and analysis can also help professionals uncover patterns of behavior or difficulty so potential causes can be determined. The entire IEP team will have a clear and objective picture of the student’s progress when they have relevant data to refer to as documentation.
undertake. It can be less overwhelming if teachers prioritize and collect meaningful data for the most important goals, the most costly interventions (in both time and money), and the most restrictive interventions. Training in the most efficient means of doing so can help teachers to design collection systems that are practical and realistic for their classrooms. Most importantly, teachers must learn how to analyze their data and use them to inform instructional decisions.
At first thought, data collection may sound like one more task for busy teachers to
Resources for Administrators
In the survey mentioned earlier, only 41% of public school administrators rated themselves very effective at selecting instructional methodologies and supports that are scientifically validated. There are several resources available to help you assess the validity of specific interventions that may be proposed by your staff or students’ families.
Summarizing the amount of scientific research supporting specific educational strategies for students with autism, the National Autism Center published its findings for the National Standards Project in 2009. This document classifies each approach as established, emerging, or unestablished so that you can assist your teachers, related service providers, and parents to select scientifically validated practices as mandated in federal and state legislation. According to this document, the overwhelming majority of “Established Treatments” are derived from applied behavior analysis (ABA). The same was found in a 2014 literature review by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders; of the 27 strategies that qualified as evidence- based practices, almost all incorporate the principles and practices of ABA.
National Standards Project Definitions • Established Treatments: There is compelling scientific evidence to show these treatments are effective. • Emerging Treatments: Although one or more studies suggest that a treatment produces favorable outcomes for individuals with ASD, additional high quality studies must consistently show this outcome before we can draw firm conclusions about treatment effectiveness. • Unestablished Treatments: There is little or no evidence to allow us to draw firm conclusions about treatment effectiveness with individuals with ASD. Additional
research may show the treatment to be effective, ineffective, or harmful.” (quoted from page 9)
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment maintains a website (www.
asatonline.org) where you can look up a particular autism intervention and read a brief summary of its current research support or lack thereof. ASAT also directs you to specific studies if you are interested in more detail beyond the summary.
The Road Less Traveled: Charting a Clear Course for Autism Treatment lists specific questions to ask during three phases of decision-making: exploring a treatment’s validity,
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