Using Science to Guide Autism Treatment – Panel Discussion / ABAI autism conference, Jacksonville, Florida
Date of Conference / Attendees
February 8, 2009 / Margaret Spoelstra, Marilyn Thompson, Loni Rudnicki, Catherine McKay
For more information, Contact me
Email /
Phone / (519)250-9410
A. Summary of key learning’s of the conference attended (bullets).
What Type of Evidence Should Exist Before Something Is Considered Empirically Supported?
-needs to be replicated
-needs to be peer reviewed
-needs to have treatment fidelity (make sure the methods are being followed)
-have to consider the quality of the journal; sometimes you just have to pay to be published
How Should A Practitioner Approach a Procedure That is Not Yet Supported?
-cite ethical guidelines to explain why they cannot use that approach
-try a mini-study, decide on a criterion to continue or discontinue the approach
-ask if there is possible bias in existing data, ask if there is a possibility of harm to the approach
-look at the goal of the “new” intervention and redirect to a more established way of accomplishing the same thing
What is the Role of Science in Everyday Implementation?
-help people understand science
-help people understand the importance of control groups
-can temper hope and avoid spending a lot of time and money on things that don’t work
-help people look at the positives and negatives of an approach
What is the Responsibility of a Researcher in Disseminating Data and Guiding Policy Fallout?
-a researcher must explain the limits of a study
-the researcher must strive to explain what a study means
B. List workshops that you attended.
C. List any additional material that was received (hand-outs, dvd, videos, books, other resources).
Autism: Basic Information, 6th edition. COSAC: The New JerseyCenter for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community. 2008.
Buchanan, Suzanne & Weiss, Mary Jane. Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism: An Introduction, 3rd edition. COSAC: The New JerseyCenter for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community. 2008.
Screening, Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children: Canadian Best Practice Guidelines. Miriam Foundation. 2008.
D. Key trends identified
Many people still think of ABA as cold and “dog-training”. We need to explain it to people and give real life examples and show how it can work.
E. Facts/Opinions/Did you know?
F. Websites/Books referenced and recommended
G. Important contacts made
H. I would/would not recommend this conference/workshop, for the following reasons
I would recommend this presentation because I think that many professionals are often faced with families who ask for opinions on many alternative treatments. It is nice to have some guidelines on how to respond to these requests without always saying that there is no empirical data for them. Also, I think this presentation could help families to understand why some approaches are better than others and why some services are offered and others are not. It could also help them avoid scam artists and falling prey to false promises. This presentation could also have just been a handout or booklet though.
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