Resources | Learning More About ASD

Autism Spectrum Disorder is considered a developmental disorder. The US Department of Health and Human services explains that ASD “is a complex neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in life and affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates and learns.”

No. There are a variety of disorders that are related to limited speech development but any child that is not talking by the age of 3 should have a developmental assessment immediately. Most children are babbling before they reach their first birthday and use single words to communicate by 18 months. Any child that does not display these behaviors or who has and subsequently loses a communicative or social skill should be screened for an autism spectrum disorder as soon as possible.

• Families should always discuss observations and developmental concerns with their child’s primary care provider. This provider can help guide you towards community resources, document concerns within your child’s medical record, and help refer to developmental specialists, where appropriate.
• The medical providers who are qualified for diagnosing ASD include Developmental Pediatricians, Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors.
• Your insurance carrier should have a list of “In Network Providers” in your area. This can help you find qualified providers who accept your child’s insurance plan.
• While some families choose to seek out a diagnosis through their school district, please be advised that these diagnoses may or may not be recognized by insurance companies for future medical treatments depending on the credentials of the evaluator.
  • Developmental screenings through the school district CAN be meaningful for accessing Early Intervention services or to develop an IEP ahead of school enrollment.

• Diagnostic evaluations with a qualified provider typically take several hours to complete. Some providers may request this evaluation take place across multiple appointments.
• Caregivers may be asked to complete certain screenings prior to your appointment time, or providers may gather necessary background information through interactions with you.
• A child’s age, interaction style and toleration of completing the necessary developmental assessments will influence which assessments are recommended as well as how long the evaluation may last.
• Some of the common tools used for ASD screenings include:
  • Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)
  • Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI)
  • Autism Observation Diagnostic Schedule (ADOS)
• Scoring assessments and writing up a full report can be time consuming for providers. You should expect reports to take up to four weeks to become available, after completing the evaluation.

A study by Sallows and Graupner (2005) has replicated the results of Lovaas and colleagues. They indicated that a positive treatment outcome was best predicted by a child’s pre-intervention language, imitation, and social skills. Another study by Howard, Sparkman, Cohen, Green, and Stanislaw (2005), compared intensive behavior analytic intervention to standard early intervention services provided to children with developmental impairment and to “eclectic” treatment. It was found that, after over a year of service delivery, children in the intensive behavioral treatment group had gained substantially more skills than either of the two comparison groups. It can be concluded from this study that ABA services alone are superior to eclectic intervention that combines ABA with unproven treatments.

• Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is the application of the empirically validated principles of behavior to build skills through directed instruction and to address maladaptive behaviors by determining their function.
• Behavior Analysis helps us to understand how one’s behavior is affected by their environment and how learning takes place.
• Our goal in ABA is to utilize positive reinforcement to increase independence, communication and social skills while decreasing maladaptive behaviors.

No single “treatment package” will serve every child’s needs and no individual can claim to own ABA. ABA, for the treatment of autism, is the application of the principles of learning to 1) build skills and 2) treat problem behavior. It works because each person’s behavior is assessed to determine what skills they have not mastered and what types of problem behavior interfere with learning and social functioning. For skill deficits, direct instruction is provided until the skill is mastered. For problem behavior, specific analysis of why the behavior occurs is used to develop treatment to eliminate the behavior or teach the person to use other more appropriate behavior to serve the same function.

The person who supervises the implementation of an ABA program should be a “behavior analyst.” There is a Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) and the criteria for becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® or BCBA® are listed at www.bacb.com (see the consumer information section, click on “Standards for becoming a BCBA or BCABA®”). This certification process is relatively new and if a person were to meet the academic and experiential requirements to sit for the BACB’s certification exam then such persons might be seen as having the appropriate background for supervising a program in Applied Behavior Analysis. In brief, a professional would need a Master’s or PhD in a human service discipline such as psychology, education, or special education and they should have a number of graduate courses specifically in behavior analysis. Another necessary qualification is substantial relevant supervised experience in working with persons with autism. Beyond that, a BCBA or BCABA must remain abreast of developments in the field by obtaining a minimum of 36 hours of continuing education across every 3 years.