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This research study suggests that parent-managed applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment programs for children with autism may be less effective than those managed by professionals.
The authors review the evidence supporting the ABA approach and the UCLA model of clinic-based ABA treatment. In this study, children did not go to an ABA clinic. Instead, parents of 66 children with autism found independent consultants to design and direct their childâs treatment program. The program included three to five therapists as well as family members and volunteers. The consultant trained the parents and therapists in ABA theory and practice in two 6-hour sessions, with four 1-day follow-up workshops per year. Treatment continued for an average of 31.6 months for an average of 30 hours per week. After approximately three years of intensive home-based ABA therapy, the children were evaluated. The researchers found that behavior had improved significantly from before treatment began, but IQ scores did not improve. None of the children from the study had improved enough to allow inclusion in a regular classroom without assistance. The authors noted that many of the children in this study were older than four years when the study began, and ABA has been described as being most effective in younger children. Further, the quality of ABA treatment likely varied widely across individuals, suggesting that if consultants were credentialed and more consistently trained, the study might have shown a more impressive improvement.
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