Abstract
Recently, we sought to review the empirical evidence on interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in search of interventions meeting the criteria of evidence-based practice (EBP). As outlined in Chap. 1, EBP is defined differently by different disciplines. Although many of these definitions were quite good, it quickly became apparent that locating and defining EBP for children with ASDs using the available definitions and procedures would be difficult. Therefore, we decided to create a new method for evaluating empirical evidence to determine if a practice could be considered an EBP. This decision was made only after determining that existing methods were not well suited for our specific needs; when possible, elements and standards from existing methods were adopted into the evaluative method presented in this chapter.
This chapter is adapted, with permission from the publisher, from an article published by Reichow et al. (2008) in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38:1311–1319.
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Abbreviations
- ASDs:
-
Autism spectrum disorders
- EBP:
-
Evidence-based practice
- SSED:
-
Single subject experimental design
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Appendices
Appendix A: Rating Form for Studies Using Group Research Design Studies
Study | Essential Quality Indicators | Desirable Quality Indicators | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PART | IV | CC | DV | LRQ | STAT | RA | IOA | BR | FID | ATR | G/M | ES | SV | |
Appendix B: Rating Form for Studies Using Single Subject Experimental Designs
Study | Essential Quality Indicators | Desirable Quality Indicators | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VIS | EXP | |||||||||||
PART | DV | IV | BSLN | ANAL | CON | IOA | KAP | BR | FID | G/M | SV | |
Appendix C: EBP Status Worksheet
Study | Research method | Rigor rating | Successful N |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of group studies with strong rigor ratings | = GroupS | ||
Number of group studies with adequate rigor ratings | = GroupA | ||
Number of participants from SSED studies with strong rigor ratings | = SSEDS | ||
Number of participants from SSED studies with adequate rigor ratings | = SSEDA | ||
Formula for determining EBP status | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
\(({\rm Group_S} \ ^* \ 30)+({\rm Group_A} \ ^* \ 15)+({\rm SSED_S} \ ^* \ 4)+({\rm SSED_A} \ ^* \ 2)={\rm Z}\) | |||||||||
Points (Z) | 0 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 59 | 60+ |
EBP status | Not an EBP | Probable EBP | Established EBP | ||||||
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Reichow, B. (2011). Development, Procedures, and Application of the Evaluative Method for Determining Evidence-Based Practices in Autism. In: Reichow, B., Doehring, P., Cicchetti, D., Volkmar, F. (eds) Evidence-Based Practices and Treatments for Children with Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6975-0_2
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