This article describes different approaches to providing discrete trial training and incidental teaching for children with autism.

The authors begin with an overview of the neurological, developmental, and behavioral aspects of autism. They then describe the evidence-based treatments for autism, giving special attention to applied behavior analysis (ABA). The authors describe the research that demonstrates that ABA therapy is an especially effective therapy for children with a higher level of verbal ability. ABA is also more effective when it is used for between 25 and 40 hours per week. They conclude by describing several difficulties that parents may have with finding the resources for ABA treatment and provide a list of ABA and autism Web resources for parents and clinicians. Read more...