[Fwd: Long reply--Re: Help with ASD Research]

[Guest guest]

Thought this would be of interest. If the attachment doesn't come

through (some lists don't allow them) and you want it, please feel free

to email me directly.

Barb

Ann Arbor MI

-------- Original Message -----

I hope that everyone will excuse the long reply, but I just posted this

news article (below) relating to a recently published paper, " A

comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for

young children with autism " , Jane , Coleen Sparkman, Cohen,

Green and Harold Stanislaw, Research in Developmental Disabilities

26 (2005), 359-383. I am attaching a copy of the paper for those who

might find it interesting or useful.

I'm not sure that this directly addresses your question since this is

not a head-to-head comparison of the interventions that you say are

proposed, but I think the paper makes a pretty compelling case for an

effective intervention model.

Regina F.

Cal State University Stanislaus Professors Publish Revealing Report on

Methods for Treating Autism

TURLOCK, Calif., Aug. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- A California research team

that includes a pair of California State University, Stanislaus

psychology professors has taken a significant step in what most experts

predict will be a long journey in developing effective treatment for

autism. They were part of a team of psychologists who conducted a study

that dispels some popular notions about how to treat autism.

Autism is a disorder of brain development characterized by

deficits in language, learning and social interaction. It typically

appears during the first three years of life and affects males about

four times more often than females across all income strata and ethnic

groups. Genetics seems to be a contributing factor, but the specific

causes of autism have not yet been identified.

The National Institutes of Health note that prevalence studies

have been done in several states and also in the United Kingdom, Europe,

and Asia. Prevalence estimates range from 2 to 6 per 1,000 children.

Most individuals with autism who do not receive effective treatment are

unlikely to live independently as adults.

The California study found that intensive Applied Behavior

Analysis (ABA) was a substantially more effective treatment for a group

of preschool children with autism than the mixture of methods that is

provided in many education and treatment programs. ABA emphasizes

breaking skills down into small parts and building them systematically

through repetition and positive reinforcement. At the same time,

behaviors that are harmful or that interfere with learning are analyzed

carefully and are not reinforced. The long-term goal is to help each

child be as successful and independent as possible at school, at home

and in the community.

The pioneering study was completed by CSU Stanislaus psychology

faculty members Dr. Jane and Dr. Harold Stanislaw and their

colleagues Coleen Sparkman, Director of The Kendall School in Modesto;

Dr. Cohen, Clinical Director of Valley Mountain Regional Center

in Stockton; and Dr. Green of San Diego, a nationally known

researcher and consultant in the field of autism.

" This study corroborates earlier studies showing the power of

early intensive behavior analytic intervention, " said , the

study's principal investigator. " It is important because it is one of

only a few studies in which the ABA intervention was delivered through a

community- based, rather than a university-affiliated program. These

results signal the potential for delivering effective intervention

without the resources of a university-based clinic. "

noted that this aspect is important because there are too

few university-affiliated programs capable of providing ABA intervention

for the growing number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum

disorders.

" The study is also noteworthy because it is only the second one

to compare the common practice of combining multiple treatment

approaches ( " eclectic " treatment) with a cohesive approach based on the

science of applied behavior analysis, " said.

The report indicates that most autism experts agree that the

earlier the intervention is delivered, the better the outcomes. It also

questions the suitability of treating children with autism using a

variety of intervention methods.

Although it may seem reasonable to many parents and professionals

to use a mixture of treatment methods, the researchers note that this

practice has not been carefully evaluated.

Co-researcher Green noted that scientific studies of " eclectic "

treatment are necessary because funding treatments that have not been

scientifically validated waste scarce resources and costs these children

the opportunity to realize their full potential.

" Although ABA methods have proven effective for building skills

in people with autism of all ages, it is not clear that effective

intervention provided later in life can have the same impact as it does

in the preschool years, " Green said.

According to information provided by the California Department of

Developmental Disabilities, the cost of providing basic services to

adolescents and adults with autism throughout the lifespan is

substantially more per person than the cost of comparable services for

individuals with other developmental disabilities.

The authors noted in their article that " eclectic " or

mixed-method treatment approach is often recommended for children with

autism by consultants, educators and clinicians. It is widely used in

both public and private schools. Eclectic treatment for children with

autism often include the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS),

sensory integration therapy, speech and language therapy, discrete trial

training, play therapy, and techniques drawn from the Teaching and

Education of Autism and related Communication handicapped Children

(TEACCH) program developed in North Carolina.

Green noted that some of these techniques, such as sensory

integration therapy, have not been shown through sound research to

produce measurable improvements in useful skills or reductions in

problem behavior.

" Children with autism may appear to enjoy participating in some

of these therapies, but to date, there is no strong evidence that they

benefit in any meaningful, lasting way from participating in them, "

Green said.

The CSU Stanislaus study put eclectic and ABA-based interventions

to the test over a 14-month period with three groups of pre-school

children with autism who were similar when they entered the study. A

total of 61 children who were under the age of 4 when they were

diagnosed and began treatment for their autism participated in the

study, which was conducted in Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Sacramento,

Placer and Nevada counties.

After 14 months of intervention, most children participating in

intensive ABA for 25 to 40 hours a week had made substantial

improvements in most skill areas, according to numerous standardized

evaluations conducted by professionals who were not affiliated with any

of the treatment programs. Many of those children actually had

accelerated rates of development in language, cognitive and self-help

skills.

One group of preschool children with autism received intensive

" eclectic " intervention in specialized classrooms for 30 hours per week.

That intervention featured combinations of methods designed for children

with autism customized to each child and delivered in a format in which

one trained adult worked with 1 to 2 children. Another group

participated in early intervention programs for children with various

developmental delays, also utilizing a combination of methods for 15-20

hours per week. Both of those groups also received 14 months of

intervention.

Despite its widespread availability and popularity, " eclectic "

intervention proved comparatively ineffective. The two groups whose

treatment consisted of a combination of methods made negligible gains in

some skills, and lost ground in others. Their rates of development

remained largely unchanged.

Although the intellectual functioning of the children in the 3

groups was similarly delayed when the study began, 16 of 29 children in

the intensive ABA group, tested within the normal range at the end of

the study. In contrast, only 5 of 32 children in the two " eclectic "

treatment groups combined had normal intellectual functioning after 14

months of intervention.

Similarly, children who received intensive ABA treatment had

gains on standardized language tests that were more than double those of

the children who received " eclectic " intervention. In fact, at the end

of the 14-month intervention period, the ABA group had an average rate

of language development that was greater than that of typically

developing preschoolers.

According to the researchers, the accelerated rates of

development mean that these children are positioned to catch up to their

typically developing peers if they continue to receive intensive ABA

intervention for another 1-2 years. The prognosis, for the children who

received " eclectic " treatment was, on the whole, substantially less

promising.

" This study suggests that the 'shot gun' approach to autism

intervention, where children receive a little bit of everything --

including interventions that have yet to demonstrate their effectiveness

-- needs to be examined critically, " said.

Similar findings were reported in 2002 by Norwegian researcher

Svein Eikeseth and his colleagues. They compared intensive ABA with

intensive " eclectic " treatment in a study involving children of

elementary age with autism. Eikeseth and colleagues also found that

intensive behavior analytic intervention was superior to one that

utilized mixed methods, even though both groups of children received

one-to-one instruction for 30 hours each week for a year.

" The popular notion that virtually any intervention can produce

meaningful benefits for children with autism if it is provided

intensively has not been confirmed by two controlled studies that

addressed that hypothesis, " the CSU Stanislaus researchers and

colleagues noted in their report.

The study conducted by and her colleagues, titled " A

comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for

young children with autism, " is published in the July/August issue of

the Journal of Research and Developmental Disabilities. The article can

be purchased online at: www.sciencedirect.com

<http://www.sciencedirect.com/>.

The study was partially supported by grants from California State

University, Stanislaus and Valley Mountain Regional Center.

- - - -

CONTACT: Jane , 209-572-2589

Green, 619-518-4990

Don Hansen, CSU Stanislaus Public Affairs, 209-667-3997,

dhansen@...

<http://mail./config/login?/ym/Compose?To=dhansencsustan (DOT) edu>

ABOUT THE RESEARCH TEAM:

" A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic

treatments for young children with autism "

August 2005

Jane S. , Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at California

State University, Stanislaus. She trains undergraduate and graduate

students from psychology and special education in the applications of

empirically- validated interventions to special needs populations. Dr.

's focus over the past several decades has been child clinical

problems in social, developmental, behavioral, and academic domains. She

founded and co- directed the Center for Direct Instruction, a university

clinic that provides intensive academic remediation to school age

children. She is also a licensed psychologist and a Board Certified

Behavior Analyst. Her primary area of research involves identification

of variables related to effective treatment, focused especially upon

young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. is also a co-founder and co-director of Therapeutic

Pathways and The Kendall School in Northern California. Both agencies

provide intensive behavior analytic intervention to young children with

autism spectrum disorders through either home or center-based delivery

models. In addition, to being a co-author of the textbook, Human

Behavior: Research and Practice, Dr. has published in such

peer-reviewed publications as The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,

The Behavior Analyst, Research in Developmental Disabilities, and The

Analysis of Verbal Behavior.

Coleen R. Sparkman, M.A. received her undergraduate and graduate

training in Communicative Disorders from California State University,

Fresno. Ms. Sparkman is a licensed speech and language pathologist and

holds the Clinical Certificate of Competence (CCC) from the American

Association of Speech, Language, and Hearing. She is the co-founder and

co-director of Therapeutic Pathways and The Kendall School. Both

Therapeutic Pathways and The Kendall School are located in northern

California and provide intensive behavior analytic intervention to young

children with autism spectrum disorders. Ms. Sparkman's work has been

presented at numerous professional meetings including the Governor's

Conference, the California Association for Behavior Analysis, and

Association for Behavior Analysis International. Her work with children

with pervasive developmental disorders is recognized throughout the

western United States; over the past 20 years she! has provided direct

services and consultation to more than 500 children diagnosed with

autism spectrum disorders.

G. Cohen, Ph.D. is the Director of Clinical Services at

Valley Mountain Regional Center. Dr. Cohen received his B.A. in

Psychology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Kansas State

University. He also completed a post doctoral internship at Ohio State

University. Dr. Cohen is a licensed psychologist with a long time

interest in research based practices and service delivery models for

individuals with special needs. He was a key contributor of the Northern

California Autism Collaborative and helped develop the AUTISTIC SPECTRUM

DISORDERS: Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis and

Assessment for California's Department of Developmental Disabilities. He

was also a contributor to the (2003) book by Ivar Lovaas: Teaching

Individuals With Developmental Delays: Basic Intervention Techniques. In

that chapter, Dr. Cohen describes the unique collaborative he helped

establish among families, schools, private agencies, and! regional

centers to utilize scientifically based practices to identify and

address the needs of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders.

Green, Ph.D. received a Ph.D. in Psychology (Analysis of

Behavior) from Utah State University in 1986 following undergraduate and

master's degree studies at Michigan State University. She has been a

faculty member in Behavior Analysis and Therapy at Southern Illinois

University; Director of Research at the New England Center for Children

in Southborough, Massachusetts; Associate Scientist at the E.K. Shriver

Center for Mental Retardation in Waltham, Massachusetts; and Research

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of

Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Green is currently in private practice

in San Diego as a consultant and is on the faculty at San Diego State

University and the University of North Texas. She has authored numerous

publications on the treatment of individuals with developmental

disabilities and brain injuries, as well as the experimental analysis of

behavior. Dr. Green co-edited the books Beha! vioral Intervention for

Young Children with Autism and Making a Difference: Behavioral

Intervention for Autism. She serves or has served on the editorial

boards of several professional journals in developmental disabilities

and behavior analysis. Dr. Green also serves on the Board of Trustees

and the Autism Advisory Group of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral

Studies, the Board of Directors of the Behavior Analyst Certification

Board, the Board of Directors of the California Association for Behavior

Analysis, and the advisory boards of several autism programs and

organizations. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, former

president of the Association for Behavior Analysis, and a Fellow of the

American Psychological Association and the Council for Scientific

Medicine and Mental Health. Psychology Today named her " Mental Health

Professional of the Year " in 2000. Dr. Green lectures and consults

widely on autism and related disorders, behavioral research, and

effective intervent! ions for people with disabilities.

Harold Stanislaw, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and the

Psychology Undergraduate Program Coordinator at California State

University, Stanislaus. He earned a B.A. in Psychobiology from Yale

University, an M.A. in Comparative Psychology from the University of

California, Riverside, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology

from UCLA. His primary areas of expertise are research methodology and

statistical analysis, as well as applied cognitive psychology. Prior to

joining the CSU Stanislaus faculty, Dr. Stanislaw was at the University

of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where he helped establish a

graduate program in applied psychology.

Dr. Stanislaw is co-holder of a U.S. patent and has more than 30

publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has consulted on projects for

the U.S. Coast Guard, the New South Wales (Australia) Roads and Traffic

Authority, the Center for Oral Health for People with Special Needs, the

California Department of Developmental Services, and the California

Department of Health Service among others. Dr. Stanislaw has performed

statistical analyses for applications in such diverse fields as

aerospace engineering, psychophysiology, obstetrics and gynecology,

traffic safety, visual psychophysics, literacy, and most recently autism

intervention.

ON THE WEB:

www.sciencedirect.com <http://www.sciencedirect.com/>.

The report can be found on line on the CSU Stanislaus web site at:

http://www.csustandur.com/newsline/index.php3?pid=646 & action=detail & table=press

<http://www.csustandur.com/newsline/index.php3?pid=646 & action=detail & table=press\

>