The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

With the increase in prevalence rates among children with autism spectrum disorder, additional pressure has been placed on service providers to implement evidence-based interventions for this population (Odom, Brown, Frey, Karasu, Smith-Canter, & Strain, 2004). Researchers have made generous strides towards identifying Intensive Behavioral Intervention as an evidence-based treatment for children with ASD. This paper session will specify components of Intensive Behavioral Intervention to enable administrators, educators, and parents to use this treatment option when working among children with ASD. With the increase in prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) over the past several decades, autism treatment has become a topic of concern among parents and educators. Since 2000, autism prevalence has increased from 6.7 in 1,000 to a recently reported prevalence of 1 in 150 (Centers for Disease Control, 2007). Along with an increase in autism, No Child Left Behind calls for evidence-based practices to teach all children, while obligating educators to provide children with significant opportunities to access high-quality education. National policy has been challenging for school districts due to lack of knowledge of evidence-based practices (National Research Council, 2001; Simpson, 2005). An additional concern is that general and special educators are expected to teach children with ASD but have little to no training (National Research Council, 2001). Attempts are being made to educate current and future educators on the use of evidence-based practices when working among sensitive populations such as autism. Colleges and universities have had to make shifts in the way that pre-service teachers are taught (Lerman, Vorndran, Addison, & Kuhn, 2004). All practitioners would benefit from formal instruction in evidence-based practices combined with continual training and supervision (Lerman et al., 2004). Educators must seek out continued assistance from experts in the field to shape best practices when working among students with ASD. Although providing support to educators about evidence-based practices sounds fairly straightforward, much controversy surrounds the topic. Researchers and practitioners have been attempting to define exactly what constitutes an evidence-based practice in the field of education. Treatments for autism range from evidence-based options such as Intensive Behavioral Intervention to treatments with little evidence such as sensory integration therapy and hyperbaric oxygen treatment. When choosing an intervention, parents and professionals need to consider that testimonials or popularity of an intervention does not mean evidence exists to support the treatment (Green, 2008). Special education classrooms tend to be based on varied strategies offering an eclectic approach (Chasson, Harris, & Neely, 2007). Individualized treatments are critical for children with ASD; however, treatments need to be chosen cautiously. While children may benefit from multi-methodological approaches, adoption of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles results in maximized progress for students with ASD. No Child Left Behind requires evidence-based practices when teaching children and ABA offers this solution. Despite the controversy surrounding treatment for autism, many factors support implementation of behavioral interventions, although these practices are not widely used in classrooms and have not been integrated into local and state policies (National Research Council, 2001). A huge gap exists between what has already been proven effective, what teachers learn, and what is implemented in the classroom (Simpson, 2005). Based on treatment recommendations for children with ASD, behavioral treatments are not only effective but necessary. This paper session will address evidence-based recommendations for educating children with ASD. The session will state the history of Intensive Behavioral Intervention, a treatment program grounded in the principles of ABA. Additionally, specific questions about Intensive Behavioral Intervention will be explored throughout the session such as, “What is Intensive Behavioral Intervention?”, “When do we start?”, and “How many hours per week?” Research verifies the importance of Intensive Behavioral Intervention and suggests that the intensity of treatment has a strong impact on skills gained and maintained by children with ASD (Chasson et al., 2007). Behavioral strategies are rule-based and structured promoting success for both the child and individuals implementing the programs. Though effective Intensive Behavioral Intervention requires training by experienced professionals, the systematic approach supports a strong learning curve for people new to the methodology. After initial training in behavioral interventions, strategies may easily be applied to enable academic, communication, and social growth for children with ASD.

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