Evidence-based treatments for ASDs

by Benison O'Reilly on Thursday, November 12th, 2009

In the Australian Autism Handbook we introduce readers to the concept of scientific evidence and how it applies to treatments for autism spectrum disorders.  As a general rule we recommend parents lean towards scientifically validated or evidence-based treatments and reserve particular scepticism for anyone promising the ‘miracle cure’.  Parents now have an additional evidence-based resource to refer to.

The National Autism Center (NAC) is a US–based nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting effective, evidence-based treatment approaches for ASD.  www.nationalautismcenter.org/ Recently it released its National Standards Report.

When introducing the report the NAC noted:

The primary goal of the National Standards Project is to provide critical information about which treatments have been shown to be effective for individuals with ASD.

However, as the report authors explain:

It is not our goal to dictate what choices people make, but to provide enough information to allow them to make informed treatment decisions for themselves.

The report separates treatments into four categories, based on the level of scientific evidence supporting them:

Established, where, as the name implies, there is sufficient evidence to establish these treatments are effective. Examples include behavioural interventions, visual schedules and Social Stories™

Emerging, where one or more studies suggest a treatment produces favourable effects for individuals with ASD, but where additional high quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.  Treatments listed here include: DIR®/Floortime™ and RDI®, structured teaching and PECS.

Unestablished, where there is insufficient evidence to allow firm conclusions to be drawn about effectiveness.  Examples include (probably controversially for some parents) the GFCF diet and auditory integration therapy.

Ineffective/Harmful, where there is sufficient evidence to establish that a treatment is ineffective or harmful for individuals with an ASD. Interestingly there are currently no treatments listed in this last category.

At 176 pages the full report is not light reading and parents may prefer the Findings & Conclusions of the National Standards Project, a mere 53 pages long.  Log on to the website and follow the links. Please note that you are required to provide a few personal details to gain access to the documents.

This is a welcome new resource that should help a few parents navigate the maze of therapies that confronts them when autism unexpectedly enters their world.

Tags: autism, research, treatments