The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Evidence-based practices are not only recommended as best practice, but are required by law. So what constitutes an evidence-based practice? This session will provide parents and practitioners with a definition of evidence-based practices from early childhood special education literature. Concrete examples and descriptions derived from a synthesis of the research surrounding evidence-based practices for young children with autism will be presented. In addition, practical strategies for individualizing and implementing evidence-based practices in home and school settings will be provided. Research suggests that all early intervention programs are efficacious in producing developmental gains among children with autism regardless of educational placements, philosophical approaches, and intervention strategies (Dawson & Osterling, 1997; Smith, Groen, & Wynn, 2000). Best practices communicate the importance of providing services to children with autism by the age of 48 months; therefore resulting in greater improvements when compared to children receiving services after this critical point in development (Corsello, 2005; Whitefor Erba, 2000). The prognosis for autism is more favorable than originally believed as a result of effective early intervention (Eikeseth, 2001; Lovaas, 1987). Exploring evidence-based practices for this population of young children needs to be further emphasized. This presentation will clarify the definitions of evidence-based interventions for children with autism in order to advance parent and practitioner knowledge in the field of autism spectrum disorders. Recent changes in recommended practice and federal law require the use of evidence-based practices in providing supports and services to young children with autism. For example, No Child Left Behind requires programs to utilize practices rooted in scientifically based research in addition to demonstrating adequate yearly progress for all school age children (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act requires that programs utilize services based on peer reviewed research for supporting children with or at risk for disabilities (IDEA, 2004). IDEA emphasizes the importance of using high quality, research-based instruction in special education settings consistent with NCLB. As illustrated by the requirements outlined in NCLB and IDEA, the field of early childhood intervention has moved from an age where parents and practitioners made educational programming decisions based on gut feelings to an age of accountability where measurement of outcomes and evidence of progress are a top priority. Evidence-based practice is a concept that has not yet been well defined in the field of early childhood special education (Buysse & Wesley, 2006). Debate surrounds the term, resulting in disagreements about what constitutes an evidence-based practice. While some believe evidence-based practice is a term that refers strictly to scientific evidence and randomized controlled clinical trials, others believe expert experience and developmental theory constitutes an evidence-base. Little, however, has been done to help delineate a sound definition or even characteristics of evidence-based practices to parents or practitioners. Daily treatment of children with autism is taking place in both home and school settings with little support for understanding the requirements of this new age of accountability and evidence-based decision making. Parents and practitioners need to know how to define, individualize, and implement evidence-based practices in an effort to best support children with autism while providing them with quality services that improve their growth and development in early childhood special education programs. We intend to support participant needs by offering an empirical definition and strategies for understanding the use of evidence-based practices. The session will begin by providing a definition of evidence-based practices in the field of early childhood special education. Participants will learn about the current debate surrounding the concept of evidence-based practices and the implications of the debate on making sound decisions for educational programming. We will illustrate evidence-based practices for young children with autism derived from a synthesis of the best available research on supporting children with social, emotional, behavioral, sensory, and communicative needs. Examples of practices that will be outlined include components of UCLA Young Autism Project (Lovaas, 1987) and TEACCH (Schopler, 1987) such as small group instruction, parent training, progress monitoring, structured environments, and visual supports. Parents and practitioners will have the opportunity to review the research and compare the quality and pertinence of the results. Professional values and background knowledge will then be discussed as an integral component to the evidence-based decision making model. In addition, a discussion of how evidence-based practices can be individualized to meet the needs of learners with autism spectrum disorders will be held. Participants will walk away with practical strategies for implementing specific evidence-based practices both at home and in the classroom.

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