The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a “hot” topic that has the potential to become a “hot button” (i.e., contentious) issue, if it is misunderstood and misapplied. This workshop presents an overview of what EBP is and why it is crucial to best practices in autism intervention. The presenter will discuss erroneous assumptions surrounding EBP; the role of clinical expertise and client preferences and values; and, three important parameters for examining the quality of research evidence, all of which are crucial to appropriate intervention. The concept of evidence-based practice is neither new nor intrinsic to the field of autism spectrum disorders.  In fact, it dates back some 34 years to when British epidemiologist Archie Cochrane introduced the idea of using evidence as a basis for decision-making in healthcare programs and interventions.  His seminal textbook, Effectiveness and Efficiency:  Random Reflections on Health Services, not only extolled the virtues of randomized control trials—the “gold standard” of efficacy—but also set the stage for the evidence-based practice movement that is spreading across many different disciplines today.
Application of EBP first took hold in the medical community, and found a firm foothold during the 1990s.  While evidence-based practice would seem to be a self-explanatory term, in reality it is a concept that is fraught with misunderstanding, largely because there are assumptions made that don’t hold true.  Arguably, the most glaring of these is that EBP begins and ends with research evidence.  Another is that decision-making using an EBP approach is strictly objective.  Such erroneous assumptions can lead to a misapplication of research findings, and an over-reliance on data that may be unsuitable for the particular situation or client.  
Other risk-factors that contribute to the potential for misapplication of research findings to intervention protocols include an uncritical acceptance of data applicability in cases where it may be inappropriate; the transportability of findings from research to practice; and, a lack of understanding of important study variables and how they relate (or do not relate!) to individual clients.  
This presentation will begin by defining what is meant by evidence-based practice, and will discuss, in detail, the role of its three essential factors:  the research findings themselves, the role of clinical expertise, and the contribution of family preferences and values.  Risk-factors that set the stage for misappropriation of evidence will be thoroughly examined within the context of illustrative examples.  In contrast, the appropriate application of EBP to intervention protocols will also be discussed and illustrated.  Finally, the presenter will outline a three-pronged “test” for determining the overall quality of research evidence.
This presentation contributes to best practices and advances in the field of autism by focusing on accountability in intervention practices, and arming both parents and professionals with the tools they need to exercise sound judgment and make wise decisions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.  Furthermore, the information presented in this workshop may be used as a platform for insurance coverage, since evidence-based practices are designed to promote the use of intervention practices that are rooted in science and guided by sound clinical judgment and need-based decision-making.

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