Efficacy Research

Only the research proven treatment is good enough for your child. Be a well-informed and careful consumer, choose only the best and most reliable.

By Lovaas

It was Dr. Ivar Lovaas who first used ABA for children with autism in the early 70s. His groundbreaking research, “Behavioral Treatment and Normal Educational and Intellectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children” published in 1987, documented the effectiveness of using intensive ABA in these children.

The Study:

• 38 children were independently diagnosed with Autism
• All of them began treatment before the age of 4
• 19 children received an average of 40 hours of formal, quality ABA intervention weekly
• These 19 children received ABA for 2 or more years
• ABA intervention occurred at home, school and the community

The Outcome:

Summary:
After 2 years of treatment, 48% who received intensive ABA intervention have obtained the best learning outcome and made average IQ gains of 30 points.

Lovaas, O. I. (1987) Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(1), pp. 3-9.

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By McEachin

The Lovaas, et al (1987) follow-up study assessing the 9 subjects (48%) who had attained “the best outcome” in the experimental group at a mean age of 11.5 years. Results showed that the experimental group has preserved its gains over the control group. The 9 experimental subjects received particularly extensive evaluations indicating that 8 of them were indistinguishable from average children on tests of intelligence and adaptive behavior. The report shows that behavioral treatment produces long-lasting and significant gains for many young children with autism.

McEachin, J. J., Smith, T. & Lovaas, O. I. (1993). Long-term outcome for children with autism who received early intensive behavioral treatment. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97, 359-372.

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By Sallows

4 children with autism were randomly assigned to a clinic-directed group, replicating Lovaas study, or to a parent-directed group that received intensive hours but less supervision by equally well-trained supervisors. Outcome after 4 years of treatment, including cognitive, language, adaptive, social, and academic measures, was similar for both groups. After combining groups, we found that 48% of all children showed rapid learning, achieved average post-treatment scores, and at age 7, were succeeding in regular education classrooms. Treatment outcome was best predicted by pre-treatment imitation, language, and social responsiveness. These results are consistent with those reported by Lovaas and colleagues (Lovaas, 1987; McEachin, Smith, & Lovaas, 1993). This has put to rest claims that the original study could never be replicated.

Sallows, G.O. and Graupner, T.D. Intensive behavioral treatment for children with autism: four-year outcome and predictors. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 2005, 110(6), pp. 417-438.

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Research on Eclectric

In addition to the research on ABA, there are studies that have looked at the effectiveness of combined treatments—implementing different treatments at the same time. Howard, et al (2005) conducted a 14-month study and looked at three treatment groups. The first group only received 30 hours of ABA; the second group received 30-hour mixture of ABA, TEEACH, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and small group teaching; the third group joined a small community based group for 15 hours a week, receiving occasional support from a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. The results showed that children in the ABA group made more gains in all areas than both the other groups added together. This was an important finding as often it is cited that only the number of hours you commit to ABA matters but the research has shown  that which treatment you choose also affects the treatment outcome significantly.

Howard, J. S., Sparkman, C. R., Cohen, H. G., Green, G., & Stanislaw, H. (2005). A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26, 359-383.

Eikeseth et al (2002) did a similar study and compared two treatment groups of pure ABA approach versus an eclectic approach for over a year period. This study found that children in the ABA group made far superior gains than the children doing the eclectic treatment approach. These studies bring doubt on the commonly accepted rhetoric that doing a mixture of things is best for the student.

Eikeseth, S., Smith, T., Jahr, E., & Eldevik, S. (2002). Intensive behavioral treatment at school for 4-7-year-old children with autism: A 1-year comparison controlled study. Behavior Modification, 26, 49-68.

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