Abstract
The authors analyzed the results of a social validation survey to determine if autism service providers including special education teachers, parents, and administrators demonstrate a preference for the intervention components of Applied Behavior Analysis or Training and Education of Autistic and other Communication Handicapped Children. They also investigated the comprehensiveness of these treatment models for use in public school programs. The findings indicate no clear preference for either model, but a significantly higher level of social validity for components inherent in both approaches. The authors discuss the need for research to define what is meant by comprehensive programming in autism.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberto, P. A., & Troutman, A. C. (2008). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (8th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Arick, J. R., Krug, D. A., Fullerton, A., Loos, L., & Falco, R. (2005). School-based programs. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 1003–1028). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Callahan, K., Henson, R. K., & Cowan, A. K. (2008). Social validation of evidence-based practices in autism by parents, teachers, and administrators. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 678–692.
Choutka, C. M., Doloughty, P. T., & Zirkel, P. A. (2004). The “discrete trials” of Applied Behavior Analysis for children with autism: Outcome-related factors in the case law. Journal of Special Education, 38, 95–103.
Eikeseth, S. (2009). Outcomes of comprehensive psycho-educational interventions for young children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 158–178.
Eldevik, S., Eikeseth, S., Jahr, E., & Smith, T. (2006). Effects of low-intensity behavioral treatment for children with autism and mental retardation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 211–224.
Foster, S. L., & Mash, E. J. (1999). Assessing social validity in clinical treatment research: Issues and procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 308–319.
Francis, K. (2005). Autism interventions: A critical update. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 47, 493–499.
Gresham, F. M., Beebe-Frankenberger, M. E., & MacMillan, D. L. (1999). A selective review of treatments for children with autism: Description and methodological considerations. School Psychology Review, 28, 559–575.
Gresham, F. M., Cook, C. R., Crews, S. D., & Kern, L. (2004). Social skills training for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders: Validity considerations and future directions. Behavioral Disorders, 30, 32–46.
Hess, K. L., Morrier, M. J., Heflin, L. J., & Ivey, M. L. (2008). Autism treatment survey: Services received by children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in public school classrooms. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 961–971.
Horner, R. H., & Carr, E. G. (1997). Behavioral support for students with severe disabilities: Functional assessment and comprehensive intervention. The Journal of Special Education, 31, 84–104.
Horner, R. H., Carr, E. G., Halle, J., McGee, G., Odom, A., & Wolery, M. (2005). The use of single-subject research to identify evidence-based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71, 165–179.
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.
Howlin, P. (2005). The effectiveness of interventions for children with autism. Neurodevelopmental Disorders (pp. 101–119). Vienna: Springer.
Humphrey, N., & Parkinson, G. (2006). Research on interventions for children and young people on the autistic spectrum: A critical perspective. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 6(2), 76–86.
INSAR. (2008). Our vision for autism research. Autism Research, 1, 71–72.
Kazdin, A. E. (1977). Assessing the clinical or applied significance of behavior change through social validation. Behavior Modification, 1, 427–452.
Kazdin, A. E. (1981). Acceptability of child treatment techniques: The influences of treatment efficacy and adverse side effects. Behavior Therapy, 12, 493–506.
Kern, L., & Manz, P. (2004). A look at current validity issues of school-wide behavior support. Behavioral Disorders, 30, 47–59.
Lord, C., Wagner, A., Rogers, S., Szatmari, P., Aman, M., Charman, T., et al. (2005). Challenges in evaluating psychosocial interventions for autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 695–707.
Lovaas, O. I. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3–9.
Maurice, C., Green, G., & Luce, S. C. (Eds.). (1996). Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Mesibov, G. (2001). Interview with Professor Gary Mesibov. Looking Up: The Monthly International Autism Newsletter, 2(10). Retrieved from http://www.lookingupautism.org/Articles/GaryMesibov.html.
Mesibov, G. B., Shea, V., & Schopler, E. (2006). The TEACCH approach to autism spectrum disorders. New York: Springer.
National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Odom, S., Boyd, B., Hall, L., & Hume, K. (2008). Meta-evaluation of comprehensive treatment programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Paper presented at the 4th annual international meeting for Autism research, London, England.
Odom, S. L., Brown, W. H., Frey, T., Karasu, N., Smith-Canter, L. L., & Strain, P. S. (2003). Evidence-based practices for young children with autism: Contributions for single-subject design research. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 166–175.
Prizant, B. M. (2009). Is ABA the only way? Social Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.socialthinking.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:is-aba-the-only-way-&catid=69:published-articles&Itemid=122.
Reichow, B., Volkmar, F. R., & Cicchetti, D. V. (2008). Development of the evaluative method for evaluating and determining evidence-based practices in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 1311–1319.
Rimland, B. (1999). The ABA controversy. Autism Research Review International, 13(3), 3. Retrieved from http://www.autism.com/ari/editorials/ed_aba.htm.
Rogers, S. J. (1998). Empirically supported comprehensive treatments for young children with autism. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 168–179.
Schoen, A. A. (2003). What potential does the Applied Behavior Analysis approach have for the treatment of children and youth with autism? Journal of Instructional Psychology, 30, 125–129.
Schopler, E., Reichler, R. J., & Lansing, M. (1980). Individualized assessment and treatment for autistic and developmentally disabled children. Volume II. Teaching strategies of parents and professionals. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
Slavin, R. E. (2008). Perspectives on evidence-based research in education. What works? Issues in synthesizing educational program evaluations. Educational Researcher, 37(1), 5–14.
Smith, T., Scahill, L., Dawson, G., Guthrie, D., Lord, C., Odom, S., et al. (2007). Designing research studies on psychosocial interventions in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 354–366.
Wilczynski, S. M. (2007, March). The National Standards Project: Using evidence-based practice to create environments in which individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders can succeed. Paper presented at the 4th international conference on positive behavior support, Boston, MA.
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 203–214.
Yell, M. L., Drasgow, E., & Lowery, K. A. (2005). No Child Left Behind and students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20, 130–139.
Yell, M. L., Katsiyannis, A., & Shiner, J. G. (2006). The No Child Left Behind Act, adequate yearly progress, and students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(4), 32–39.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Julie Ray and Stacey Callaway, UNT Project STARS autism research and leadership doctoral program, for their assistance in data collection and analysis and identifying subject matter experts. We also thank Kristin Farmer, Autism Comprehensive Education Services, Inc., California, for her assistance with the expert validation process.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Callahan, K., Shukla-Mehta, S., Magee, S. et al. ABA Versus TEACCH: The Case for Defining and Validating Comprehensive Treatment Models in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 74–88 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0834-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0834-0