Mudford, O., Blampied, N., Phillips, K., Harper, D., Foster, M., Church, J., Hunt, M., Prochnow, J., Rose, D., Arnold-Saritepe, A., Peters, H., Lie, C., Jeffrey, K., Messick, E., Sumpter, C., McEwan, J., & Wilczynski, S. (2009). Technical review of published research on applied behaviour analysis interventions for people with autism spectrum disorders: Auckland Uniservices Ltd. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education.
Those interested in the report are directed to the Executive Summary page, where that summary and the full 126 page report can be directly accessed, respecting the note,
"Reports from Auckland UniServices Limited should only be used for the purposes for which
they were commissioned. If it is proposed to use a report prepared by Auckland UniServices
Limited for a different purpose or in a different context from that intended at the time of
commissioning the work, then UniServices should be consulted to verify whether the report is
being correctly interpreted. In particular it is requested that, where quoted, conclusions given
in UniServices reports should be stated in full."
For further information "Technical Review of Published Research on Applied Behaviour Analysis Interventions for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder"
Executive Summary and links to full report
Education Counts Author: Mudford, O., Blampied, N., Phillips, K., Harper, D., Foster, M., Church, J., Hunt, M., Prochnow, J., Rose, D., Arnold-Saritepe, A., Peters, H., Lie, C., Jeffrey, K., Messick, E., Sumpter, C., McEwan, J., & Wilczynski, S. (2009).
Date Published: 15 January 2009 - Revised 16 January 2009
Released on Education Counts: April 2010
ASAT has a request that those who find these newsletters and other resources offered by ASAT of value, help spread the word to families and colleagues about ASAT, the resources offered, and the newsletter so that as many as possible know where to go to get good information on evidenced treatments and interventions for autism spectrum disorders.
The Progress (NJ) reports that Caldwell College was recently awarded over half a million dollars in federal funding for the Applied Behavior Analysis program, which currently offers a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, an M.A. program, and a new Ph.D. program. The funding was obtained with the help of New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, who worked with Sharon A. Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA, Caldwell's Program Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Applied Behavior Analysis, to approach U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez for support of the new program.
Senator Lautenberg has assisted the program in the past by securing federal funding to help to support the startup of Caldwell's ABA doctoral program.
The college plans to begin construction this summer for an on campus facility for the ABA program; it will serve as a center for workshops and programs for K-12 teachers and parents.
Under the header of "Science, Fads, and Behavior Analysis", the March Organization for Autism Research (OAR) newsletter, The OARacle, reprinted an article from the Autism Spectrum News, Winter 2010, 2(3), p. 21, by Dr. Thomas Zane, Ph.D., BCBA-D
While the conclusions of Dr. Zane's examination of RDI is informative, there is at least equal value in the description of the process starting from literature review through comparison to accepted criteria in determining validity as an evidenced-based practice.
Another interesting article of practical value is,
"How to: Keeping your child safe"
Readers are encouraged to browse the entire March issue, as well as the OAR website to become acquainted with OAR's activities, and funded research and scholarship programs.
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT), whose mission is is to share accurate, scientifically sound information about autism and treatments for autism, has announced that the Spring issue of ASAT's no-cost quarterly newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment will be issued next week.
Practitioners are welcomed and encouraged to sign up to receive the issue when it comes out - and to also encourage client families and colleagues to sign-up and browse the other resources that ASAT makes available to provide unbiased information on evidenced treatments for autism.
A collaboration of The Maine Department of Health and Human Service & The Maine Department of Education recently issued an evaluative report of research evidence for various interventions for autism spectrum disorders.
A helpful discussion of evidence and summary table can be found on pages 8-10
The Winter 2010 issue/volume 7(1) of Science in Autism Treatment, the newsletter of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment contains a useful summary and discussion on the Maine report,
Myers, S.M., Plauche Johnson, C., (2007). Clinical report: Management of children with autism spectrum disorders.Pediatrics, 120(5),1162-1182. (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2362) AAP Policy - American Academy of Pediatrics NB: Applied behavior analysis and functional behavior analysis covered under "Specific Strategies" on page 1164, under "Speech and Language Therapy" on page 1165, under "Social Skills Training" on page 1165, under "Comparative Efficacy of Educational Interventions for Young Children" on page 1166, under "Programs for Older Children and Adolescents" on page 1166.
RELATED PRESENTATIONS, GROUPS, BOOKS & POSTS AUTISM
Presentation: 7. Behavior Analytic Research in the Treatment of Autism David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA "An overview of the state of research in autism that evaluates behavior analytic and non–behavior analytic treatments will be presented, with an emphasis on considerations for future research in applied settings." Presented Monday August 4 at the 2008 National Autism Conference. August 4–8, 2008 Penn State, Pennsylvania (scroll down the page to the presentation, handouts, and audio of the presentation)
Effective Practices for children with autism: Educational and behavior support interventions that work. (2008). New York: Luiselli, J.K., Russo, D.C., Christian, C.P, & Wilczynski, S.M. (Editors). New York: Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-531704-6 [Google books limited preview]
Early intervention for autism spectrum disorders: a critical analysis. Matson, J.L., & Minshawi, N.F. (2006). Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-0-08-044675-2 [Google books limited preview]
On January 4, 2010 Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, published online two articles related to the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
Both articles are currently available in free full-text at the Pediatrics website,and professionals working with the ASD population may find them of value for their own education and in their roles in serving individuals with ASD.
The first is a consensus report based on the review of current available evidence by an expert panel (composition of the panel, evaluative process and resulting twenty-three statements described in the full report). Because evidence-based recommendation was not achievable at this time, this consensus report was produced, with a footnote included that,
"The guidance in this article is not intended to advocate for an exclusive course of treatment or to represent a standard of medical care. Individual circumstances will determine variations that may be appropriate."
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are common and clinically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders. Gastrointestinal disorders and associated symptoms are commonly reported in individuals with ASDs, but key issues such as the prevalence and best treatment of these conditions are incompletely understood. A central difficulty in recognizing and characterizing gastrointestinal dysfunction with ASDs is the communication difficulties experienced by many affected individuals. A multidisciplinary panel reviewed the medical literature with the aim of generating evidence-based recommendations for diagnostic evaluation and management of gastrointestinal problems in this patient population. The panel concluded that evidence-based recommendations are not yet available. The consensus expert opinion of the panel was that individuals with ASDs deserve the same thoroughness and standard of care in the diagnostic workup and treatment of gastrointestinal concerns as should occur for patients without ASDs. Care providers should be aware that problem behavior in patients with ASDs may be the primary or sole symptom of the underlying medical condition, including some gastrointestinal disorders. For these patients, integration of behavioral and medical care may be most beneficial. Priorities for future research are identified to advance our understanding and management of gastrointestinal disorders in persons with ASDs.Pediatrics 2010;125:S1–S18
includes differential diagnostic and treatment guidelines which make reference to the consensus report.
ABSTRACT:
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can benefit from adaptation of general pediatric guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation of abdominal pain, chronic constipation, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. These guidelines help health care providers determine when gastrointestinal symptoms are self-limited and when evaluation beyond a thorough medical history and physical examination should be considered. Children with ASDs who have gastrointestinal disorders may present with behavioral manifestations. Diagnostic and treatment recommendations for the general pediatric population are useful to consider until the development of evidence-based guidelines specifically for patients with ASDs. Pediatrics 2010;125:S19–S29
The National Standards Project of the National Autism Center announced in their December newsletter that a NEW manual targeting educators is available for free download or purchase at their website, and shared an update on the also available recently released National Standards Project Report.
National Autism Center Releases New Autism Educator Manual
"We are pleased to make available a comprehensive new manual by the National Autism Center entitled, Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools.
'We created this manual for educators as a means of promoting evidence-based practice for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in schools,' said Susan M. Wilczynski, Ph.D., BCBA, Executive Director of the National Autism Center. 'We know that research-supported interventions are most likely to produce positive outcomes for the ever-increasing numbers of students with ASD.'
The development and publication of the manuals were made possible through support from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc., and the Niel M. Wreidt 2003 Revocable Trust. The American Legion grant enabled us to distribute the first 3,000 manuals free of charge to public school systems throughout the country.
Due to the overwhelming response to the manuals, we are making them available on our website. Visitors can now download them for free, or purchase a hard copy through our on-line Bookstore. We welcome you to take a look!"
This new manual is a complement to the National Standards Project Report, previously issued in September, which addressed the level of evidence for autism interventions.
In their update on the National Standards Project Report, the NAC December newsletter also stated that,
"The response to our September announcement of National Standards Project results has been tremendous! Individuals from every state in the United States, and from close to 50 countries, have visited our website in the past two months. They have downloaded tens of thousands of free copies of the Project results.
Help us to continue spreading the word! Forward our e-card to others who might be interested in learning about the National Standards Project.
We invite you to visit our website to view and download a free electronic copy, or to purchase a printed copy, of the report.
The primary goal of the National Standards Project is to provide critical information about which treatments have been shown to be effective for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The National Standards Report covers a broad range of applied treatments and identifies the level of scientific evidence available for each. The report serves as a single, authoritative source of guidance for parents, caregivers, educators, and service providers as they make informed treatment decisions. We are confident that these findings and recommendations will change lives and give hope and direction to people whose lives are touched by autism."
2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
