An opinion interview piece was released by the American Psychological Association on the use of corporal punishment in parenting.
Alan E. Kazdin, Ph.D., former APA president, John M. Musser professor of psychology at Yale University and director of Yale's Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic, discussed the effectiveness of the use of some common parenting practices, such as spanking, in changing behavior in desired directions.
Dr. Kazdin suggested that while momentary suppression might occur, that the effects do not have permanence, do not teach desirable behavior, and can be responsible for developing collateral behaviors.
He suggested alternative methods and in the interview explicitly credited the research field of applied behavior analysis in identifying these more effective methods,
"...Dr. Kazdin. Positive reinforcement for alternative behaviors is extremely effective. This is not just rewards or points but the use of antecedents (what comes before behavior), behavior (shaping and gradually developing, repeated practice), and consequences (e.g., specially delivered praise).There is a whole area of research (applied behavior analysis) devoted to this and some parenting books, too..."
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.
Three years after being hired by the Norwalk School District, Norwalk, Connecticut to provide behavior analysis services to its students with autism, Stacy Lore, who operated a business called Spectrum Kids, LLC, is being held under $200,000 bond after multiple indictments for forgery, larceny and criminal impersonation. Ms. Lore is accused of falsely representing herself as holding a Doctorate in Psychology and certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to the Norwalk School Board, which on that basis contracted her services in March of 2007; Ms. Lore was also contracting out her services on a private-pay basis to local families, and to other Connecticut and New York School districts. By August of 2008 multiple complaints related to accounting, service delivery, professional behavior, and lack of progress and regression in some children was reported, leading parents within the district to demand investigation and action. Even after receiving notification from the BACB that Ms. Lore was not a BACB certificant, the district did not immediately terminate her contract resulting in parents to eventually direct their inquiries to the state Attorney General and file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to discover the extent of background checking that was done before Ms. Lore's hire.
The case involving Ms. Lore bears similarity to that of the 2006 case of Nancie Fisher in New Jersey, who also claimed false credentials and was indicted and eventually convicted of fraud involving over $200,000.
which is the Senate version of health care reform that was originally passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009. H.R. 3590 is scheduled to be signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010 at 11:15 AM EDT.
Within minutes of the passage of H.R. 3590, the House also passed by a vote of 220 to 211 a reconciliation bill,
which encompasses amendments to H.R. 3590 proposed by the House. The U.S. Senate still has to deliberate and approve H.R. 4872; it is required to commence those deliberations after H.R. 3590 is enacted into law by the President's signature, to allot at least 20 hours of debate to the matter, and due to technicalities the reconciliation bill requires only a simple majority for passage. The Senate calendar shows deliberation on H.R. 4872 commencing Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 2:15PM EDT, although it is possible that could change.
H.R. 3590 does include a behavioral health provision for mental health and substance abuse treatment, however behavior analysts are not listed among those providers explicitly identified for reimbursement as part of a treatment team. It has also been noted by Autism Votes that the behavioral health clauses as enacted do not have sufficient reach to benefit more than a relative minority of families seeking ABA services, since this coverage is not required for all plans excepting,
(1) plans offered by state-based exchanges, through which individuals and small businesses can purchase coverage; and
(2) plans offered in the individual and small group markets outside the exchange.
The Arc struck a more optimistic note in changes that it sees as improvements in coverages, benefits and Long-Term Supports for those with developmental disabilities.
The reconciliation act, H.R. 4872 makes additional specification for covered professionals, under,
TITLE K--PROMOTING PRIMARY CARE, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND COORDINATED CARE
Sec. 1308. Coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services.
News reports and analysis will undoubtedly continue over the coming days clarifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of the enacted legislation, with some dependency on the outcome of the Senate actions yet to occur on H.R. 4872.
The Arc Applauds House Passage of Health Care Reform Legislation 3/22/2010
Washington, D.C. (March 22, 2010) - Press Release
Describes changes that The Arc sees as positive in coverages, benefits and Long-Term Services and Supports for those with developmental disabilities
A March 1, 2010 news story describes the widely recognized needs of those with autism or related disabilities who are either adults or about to age out of school-aged programs, and the concerns of families - however this article strikes a more positive tone in describing the possibilities offered by the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), a Phoenix-area program which emphasizes evidence-based services, including clinical, educational, vocational/life skills program, and opportunities to participate in clinical research studies and family support services.
"With SARRC's vocational programs, Matt [Resnik, son of founder Denise Resnick] has learned to push himself and work in the community.
"He loves working at the library," Resnik said. "There is order at the library, there are numbers and letters. He likes filing those books and checking people in and out."
Dr. Daniel Openden [Ph.D., BCBA-D, SARRC Clinical Services Director] oversees programs for children at SARRC and he said Resnik is not alone in her fears about what the future holds for those affected by autism.
"When parents are first told about their child having autism, one of the first things that goes through their mind is, what's going to happen to them next and what's their future going to be like. What are they going to do, are they going to learn to talk, are they going to have friends, are they going to get a job, get married? They go right from having all these wonderful hopes and dreams for their kids' future to suddenly feeling like maybe those hopes and dreams may be crushed."
With early treatment and intervention programs, those affected with autism can enjoy a great life, Openden said."
With an eye to these future adult needs, SARRC has recently released a collaborative research study which examines housing design and options for those living with ASDs,
This is an companion to a related publication also co-sponsored by SARRC,
Advancing Full Spectrum Housing: Designing for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Both studies were conducted by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Arizona, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), the Arizona State University (ASU) Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family and the ASU Herberger Institute School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.and funded by grants from SARRC, the Urban Land Foundation, and the Pivotal Foundation
The suit alleges that the physicians and their medical corporations are culpable of medical negligence, lack of informed consent, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation,and battery.
The suit also alleges that the laboratory report used as a basis for application of chelation and other proposed alternative treatments was based on an improper method of testing to obtain the report results and alleges that the laboratory is culpable for negligence, intentional misrepresentation,and civil conspiracy with the physicians and health care corporations named in the suit.
Note: While this is a heads-up on what may be an interesting or useful new application reported in the news, posting does not constitute recommendation, endorsement, warranty or statement of suitability. Interested readers are directed to check the information out first-hand and determine suitability of the application for their particular use.
A similar bill also in the U.S. Congress is the Senate bill, S.2680 (Dodd), "A bill to protect students from inappropriate seclusion and physical restraint, and for other purposes"
The next step for H.R. 4247 is the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
---------------------------- For further reading and reference
On February 2, 2010, the prestigious UK medical journal The Lancet published a formal retraction of the 1998 paper authored by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and 12 co-authors asserting that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) was linked to gastrointestinal disturbance and pervasive developmental disorders. Such a retraction constitutes a repudiation of the findings and a removal from the scientific record; in essence as if the article was never originally published.
removing from the scientific record, Wakefield, A.J., Murch, S.H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D.M., Malik,M., et al. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 351(9103), 637-641.
This retraction comes just days after the January 28, 2010 ruling by the UK's General Medical Council in a 2 1/2 year investigation of allegations that Wakefield and two co-authors, John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch were guilty of serious breaches of research ethics, and engaged in unethical practice and non-adherence to the terms of ethics committee approval for the research described in the 1998 article. Wakefield in particular was reprimanded for dishonesty and irresponsibility in the conducting of the research for the 1998 article. Previous to this hearing, 10 of the 13 original authors of the study retracted their names from the article.
Wakefield, Walker-Smith and Murch will return before the GMC in early April, at which time it will be determined whether there was guilt of serious professional misconduct. In the event of such a determination, sanctions up to loss of license to practice medicine could be applied.
------------------------------- References and for further reading
Murch, S.H., Anthony, A., Casson, D.H., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A.P., Valentine, A., Davies, S.E., & Walker-Smith, J.A. (2004). Retraction of an interpretation. The Lancet, 363(9411), 750. This article is stated by The Lancet to be available free of charge with registration.
