Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2010

TIME SENSITIVE: The Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) requests your input on priorities in Basic Behavioral and Social Science Research by February 19!

The NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) is seeking input from
  • the scientific community,
  • health professionals,
  • patient advocates,and the
  • general public
about current and emerging priorities in basic behavioral and social sciences research (b-BSSR).

A formal Request For Information (RFI) has just been published in the NIH Guide,
Request for Information (RFI): To Solicit Input on Priorities for the NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet)
Notice Number: NOT-OD-10-055
Key Dates
Release Date:  January 28, 2010
Response Date:  February 19, 2010
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov).

Your participation is encouraged and welcome in this RFI recommending top priority challenges for b-BSSR.

For detailed information about the RFI and to submit your ideas, please go to http://bbssrresponse.com/. This information will enable OppNet to strategically plan future investments in b-BSSR. [Note: an allocation of $120 million dollars over the next 4-5 years is anticipated]

Please note that the deadline for responding to this RFI is February 19th, 2010.
Your help is sought in identifying broad priority areas.
The purpose of this RFI is NOT a solicitation of research grant proposals nor to solicit ideas for specific, individual research proposals. Please see the Request for Information notice for the specifics of information requested.

The mission of OppNet is to pursue opportunities for strengthening b-BSSR at the NIH while innovating beyond existing investments. Further information about OppNet, including the definition of what is meant by basic-BSSR (critical to understand if you are going to identify priority areas for investment) can found at http://oppnet.nih.gov/.

For the full summary notice and information, please see
BSSR News
OppNet requests your input on priorities in Basic Behavioral and Social Science Research by February 19!
posted January 29, 2010
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Note: There are also funding opportunities available from OppNet.
Please see their site for information on those opportunities.
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For further information on RFI [NOT-OD-10-055], OppNet and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)


Request for Information (RFI): To Solicit Input on Priorities for the NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet)
Notice Number: NOT-OD-10-055
Key Dates
Release Date:  January 28, 2010
Response Date:  February 19, 2010
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov).


Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet)

About OppNet/Mission statement

NIH definition of basic behavioral and social sciences research (b-BSSR) FAQs

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
National Institutes of Health
US Department of Health and Human Services
Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or SIG members and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website, http://www.abainternational.org

Sunday, January 24, 2010

ANNOUNCE: Maine issues new evidence-based report on autism interventions

**Update: 1/25/10, 3:05pm PST - A reader passed along the tip that the Winter 2010 issue/volume 7(1) of Science in Autism Treatment, the newsletter of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment contains a summary on the Maine report,
pp. 4-5, "Consumer Corner: Maine Releases Report on Evidence-Based Practice for Autism"
Lora Perry, M.S., BCBA
SCIENCE IN AUTISM TREATMENT: Newsletter of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment. Vol. 7 No. 1, Winter 2010.

[End of Update 1]**
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A collaboration of The Maine Department of Health and Human Service & The Maine Department of Education recently issued a report on evaluation of the evidence for interventions for ASD.

The report is,
Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders: STATE OF THE EVIDENCE
Report of the Children’s Services Evidence-Based Practice Advisory Committee
A Collaboration of
THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES & THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
October 2009
Summary table can be found on pages 8-10


This report is another addition to the reference library of updated reports on the state of evidence on autism intervention, which also includes,

National Standards Report: The National Standards — Addressing the Need for Evidence-based Practice Guidelines for Autism Spectrum Disorders (174pp.)
National Autism Center, Randolph, MA. 2009.


Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools: A Guide To Providing Appropriate Interventions to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. (258pp.)
National Autism Center, Randolph, MA. 2009.


Myers, S.M., Plauche Johnson, C., (2007). Clinical report: Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. PEDIATRICS, 120(5),1162-1182. (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2362) 

AAP Policy - American Academy of Pediatrics
NB: Applied behavior analysis and functional behavior analysis covered under "Specific Strategies" on page 1164, under "Speech and Language Therapy" on page 1165, under "Social Skills Training" on page 1165, under "Comparative Efficacy of Educational Interventions for Young Children" on page 1166, under "Programs for Older Children and Adolescents" on page 1166.



Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). Assessment, diagnosis and clinical interventions for children and young people with autism spectrum disorders. A national clinical guideline. Edinburgh (Scotland): Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN); 2007 Jul. 65 p. (SIGN publication; no. 98). [232 references]


Ministries of Health and Education. 2008. New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

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Related groups, websites, books and past blog posts


AUTISM
Presentation: 7. Behavior Analytic Research in the Treatment of Autism
David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA
"An overview of the state of research in autism that evaluates behavior analytic and non–behavior analytic treatments will be presented, with an emphasis on considerations for future research in applied settings."
Presented Monday August 4 at the 2008 National Autism Conference. August 4–8, 2008 Penn State, Pennsylvania
(scroll down the page to the presentation, handouts, and audio of the presentation)


A Parent's Guide to Research
Life Journey Through Autism Guide
Organization for Autism Research

Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT)
Summaries of Scientific Research on ABA Teaching Procedures
Teaching Procedures Using Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis



Research Autism (UK)
Introduction to interventions in autism
Evaluated Interventions
Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention


Parent Guide to [autism] Therapies (Australia)
Raising children network: The Australian Parenting Website


ABAI -  Autism Special Interest Group

ABAI - Parent-Professional Partnership Special Interest Group (PPP-SIG)


EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

The Cochrane Collaboration 
[Evidence-based health care]
An introduction to Cochrane reviews and The Cochrane Library

The Campbell Collaboration 

[systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions - education, crime and justice, and social welfare]


The Wing Institute
Executive Summary
How Does Applied Behavior Analysis Support Evidence-Based Education


BOOKS
Effective Practices for children with autism: Educational and behavior support interventions that work. (2008). New York: Luiselli, J.K., Russo, D.C., Christian, C.P, & Wilczynski, S.M. (Editors). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-531704-6

[Google books limited preview]


Early intervention for autism spectrum disorders: a critical analysis.
 Matson, J.L., & Minshawi, N.F. (2006).  Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd.
ISBN-13: 978-0-08-044675-2

[Google books limited preview]

Related past posts:
Thursday, January 7, 2010

Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG blog
NEWS: Pediatrics publishes two significant reports on evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in individuals diagnosed with ASD

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG blog
ANNOUNCE: National Autism Center announces new manual for evidence-based education of those with ASD

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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,

ANNOUNCE: Volume 5(1) of the Journal of Speech Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis (JSLP-ABA) now available

Volume 5(1), January 12, 2010 of the peer-reviewed open access journal, Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis (JSLP-ABA) is now available at the Behavior Analysis Online website.

Table of Contents of volume 5(1):

Pg.: 1: Generic Instruction versus Intensive Tact Instruction and the Emission of Spontaneous Speech
- R. Douglas Greer& Lin Du

Pg.: 20: Effects of Multiple Exemplar Instruction on the Transformation of Stimulus Function Across Written and Vocal Spelling Responses by Students with Autism
- Carly M. Eby, R. Douglas Greer, Lisa D. Tullo, Katherine A. Baker & Rebecca Pauly

Pg.: 32: .AAC Interventions: Case study of In-utero Stroke.
- Cindy Geise Arroyo, Robert Goldfarb, Danielle Cahill, & Janet Schoepflin

Pg.: 48: Implications of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior for Studying Dementia
- Jeffrey A. Buchanan, Daniel Houlihan, & Peter J.N. Linnerooth

Pg.: 59: Using Skinner’s Model of Verbal Behavior Analysis to study Aggression in Psychiatric Hospitals
- Michael Daffern & Matthew Tonkin

Pg.: 70: Evaluation of Two Communicative Response Modalities for a Child with Autism and Self-Injury
- Stacy E. Danov, Ellie Hartman, Jennifer J. McComas, & Frank J. Symons

Pg.: 80: Using DRO, Behavioral Momentum,and Self-Regulation to Reduce Scripting by an Adolescent with Autism
- Vanessa Ann Silla-Zaleski & Mary J. Vesloski

Archived open-access volumes of JSLP-ABA are also available at the Behavior Analyst Online website, as well as,
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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website


Thursday, January 21, 2010

MEETING: International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR)

A scholarly meeting which may not be widely attended by those in behavior analysis, but may be of interest, especially to those who work in the area of autism treatment, is the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), which is the annual meeting for the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). Many widely known experts in the field of autism research, such as Geraldine Dawson, Sally Rogers, Tristam Smith, Catherine Lord, Deborah Fein, and others present at IMFAR.

The 2010 meeting is being held in Philadelphia, PA.  The IMFAR website reports that registration for the 2010 conference is scheduled to open on February 19, 2010.


International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR)
May 20 - 22, 2010
Marriott Hotel
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

To give an idea of some of what one might be able to take in and the themes of some of the presentations, a limited selection of presentations, including some by behavior analytic researchers, from the 2009 IMFAR is given below. The work by a University of Connecticut research group studying the characteristics of "optimal outcome" children with ASDs was given wide press coverage, including the story (see below) by NBC's Today Show during IMFAR 2009.
Video clip from Today (there may be an ad preceding the clip)






Other IMFAR 2009 presentations and posters

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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed
to their website




Friday, January 15, 2010

ANNOUNCE: Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010 Meeting of the IACC to Review Annual Update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), the committee coordinating all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). will be holding a Full Committee Meeting  on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET at the William H. Natcher Conference Center,  NIH Campus, in Bethesda, MD.

Comments can be submitted to the meeting even if you do not plan to attend in person, to
Ms. Lina Perez
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC
Room 8185a
Rockville, MD 20892-9669
Phone: 301-443-6040
E-mail: IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov

The purpose of the IACC meeting is to discuss and vote on recommendations for the annual update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research .  The meeting will also include a presentation on epigenetics and autism by Dr. Andrew Feinberg of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The meeting will be open to the public and pre-registration is recommended. Seating will be limited to the room capacity and seats will be on a first come, first served basis, with expedited check-in for those who are pre-registered.  The meeting will be remotely accessible by videocast  and conference call*.  Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting, but will not be heard.

* To access the conference call:
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-577-8995
Access code: 1991506

Individuals who participate using this service and who need special assistance, such as captioning of the conference call or other reasonable accommodations, should submit a request to the contact person listed above at least seven days prior to the meeting.  If you experience any technical problems with the conference call, please-mail IACCTechSupport@acclaroresearch.com

The latest information about the meeting can be found here.

For more information on this meeting, or the IACC

The IACC also can now be found on Twitter (www.twitter.com/IACC_Autism).

The meeting may end prior to or after 5:00 PM AT, depending on the needs of the committee.
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All blog posts on the IACC and previous meetings

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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or SIG members and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website, http://www.abainternational.org
 
 

Friday, December 11, 2009

NEWS: Behavioral Training Improves Connectivity and Function in the Brain

 Sat. 12/12/09 - added NPR All Things Considered radio interview of Marcel Just, where he discusses the importance of the intensity of the repeated reading practice applied to the children in the study experimental group, as well as the significance of white matter of the brain in synchronizing signals between different areas of the brain. The quality of the improvement of white matter correlated with the improvement in reading ability in the experimental group, and that reading programs of typical intensity did not effect these improvements. The program also touches on other skills and psychiatric disorders, including autism, that are influenced by the quality of white matter found in the brain.



A newly published study in Neuron shows that neuronal myelination and connectivity, as detected by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). is enhanced by intensive behavioral training.





Children with poor reading skills who underwent an intensive, six-month/100 hour training program to improve their reading ability showed increased connectivity in a particular brain region, in addition to making significant gains in reading, according to a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the Dec. 10, 2009, issue of Neuron.


While the relationship between training, performance and brain function has been well known, the significance is that the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) neuroimaging was able to show specific changes within the brain of improvements towards typical structures and suggest what those improvements consist of,

"We have known that behavioral training can enhance brain function." said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "The exciting breakthrough here is detecting changes in brain connectivity with behavioral treatment. This finding with reading deficits suggests an exciting new approach to be tested in the treatment of mental disorders, which increasingly appear to be due to problems in specific brain circuits.

One of the study authors, Carnegie-Mellon researcher Marcel Just, reiterated Director Insel's point,
"Our findings support not only the positive effects of remediation and rehabilitation for reading disabilities, but may also lead to improved treatments for a range of developmental conditions related to brain connectivity, such as autism," noted  Just."

The article is, Keller, T.A.& Just, M.A. Altering cortical connectivity: Remediation-induced changes in the white matter of poor readers. Neuron, 64(5), 624-631.
doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2009.10.018

Summary/Abstract
Neuroimaging studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have revealed regions of cerebral white matter with decreased microstructural organization (lower fractional anisotropy or FA) among poor readers. We examined whether 100 hr of intensive remedial instruction affected the white matter of 8- to 10-year-old poor readers. Prior to instruction, poor readers had significantly lower FA than good readers in a region of the left anterior centrum semiovale. The instruction resulted in a change in white matter (significantly increased FA), and in the very same region. The FA increase was correlated with a decrease in radial diffusivity (but not with a change in axial diffusivity), suggesting that myelination had increased. Furthermore, the FA increase was correlated with improvement in phonological decoding ability, clarifying the cognitive locus of the effect. The results demonstrate the capability of a behavioral intervention to bring about a positive change in cortico-cortical white matter tracts.
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References:
Image source: Timothy Keller, Ph.D.; Marcel Just, Ph.D.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Press Release
December 09, 2009
Behavioral Training Improves Connectivity and Function in the Brain

Keller, T.A.& Just, M.A. Altering cortical connectivity: Remediation-induced changes in the white matter of poor readers. Neuron, 64(5), 624-631.
doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2009.10.018

Excellent media article on the study with background info on brain white matter research and its significance in other skills, IQ, and psychiatric disorders, as well as recent research demonstrating levels of brain plasticity thought improbable in the relatively recent past.
Learning, adaptation can change brain connections, CMU researchers say
Thursday, December 10, 2009
By Mark Roth, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

March/April 2006
MIT Technology Review
Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (.pdf)
www.usa.siemens.com/medical
MRI Hot Topics
Keith Heberlein, PhD, John Grinstead, PhD, Heiko Meyer PhD,
Christopher Boyea, MBA, RT(R)(MR), Milind Dhamankar, MD,
Siemens Medical Solutions, USA

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Website: Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG and SIG members and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website, http://www.abainternational.org

Monday, December 7, 2009

ANNOUNCE: Dec. 11, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee full committee meeting

Announcement below from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) on the next full committee meeting, December 11, 2009, 9AM-1PM EST. The meeting will be phone & webinar only. Please see the details for registration and accommodations in the forwarded message. 

Background: The IACC coordinates all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through its inclusion of both Federal and public members, the IACC helps to ensure that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed in a public forum.
The IACC mission is to:
  • Provide advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding Federal activities related to autism spectrum disorder.
  • Facilitate the exchange of information on and coordination of ASD activities among the member agencies and organizations.
  • Increase public understanding of the member agencies' activities, programs, policies, and research by providing a public forum for discussions related to ASD research and services.
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MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will be holding a Full Committee Meeting on Friday, December 11, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET.  The meeting will be conducted via telephone conference call and webinar only.
 
The purpose of the IACC meeting is to continue discussing recommendations for the annual update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research.
 
The meeting will be conducted and available to the public via a telephone conference call phone number and a webinar conducted using a web presentation tool on the Internet.  Registration is not required.  Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting, but will not be heard. 
 
To access the conference call:
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-455-2920
Access code: 9984461

 
To view the webinar:
 
Individuals who participate using this service and who need special assistance, such as captioning of the conference call or other reasonable accommodations, should submit a request to the contact person listed above at least seven days prior to the meeting.  If you experience any technical problems with the web presentation tool or conference call, please-mail IACCTechSupport@acclaroresearch.com.
 
The latest information about the meeting can be found at: http://www.iacc.hhs.gov/events/2009/full-committee-mtg-announcement-December11.shtml
 
 
The IACC also can now be found on Twitter (www.twitter.com/IACC_Autism).
 
Please note: This phone call may end before or after 1:00 PM ET, depending on the needs of the Committee.
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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,  

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

NEWS: Pediatrics Article Reports Positive Results of Intervention Model for Toddlers with ASD

A story being reported on by  CNN, and  Time, as well as other media outlets in reference to a newly published (November 30) Pediatrics article,

Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter, J., Greenson, J., et. al. (2009). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics, Published online November 30, 2009
(doi:10.1542/ peds.2009- 0958)
Link to the abstract; purchase required for full access.

"Objective: To conduct a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention, for improving outcomes of toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods: Forty-eight children diagnosed with ASD between 18 and 30 months of age were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: (1) ESDM intervention, which is based on developmental and applied behavioral analytic principles and delivered by trained therapists and parents for 2 years; or (2) referral to community providers for intervention commonly available in the community.

Results: Compared with children who received community-intervention, children who received ESDM showed significant improvements in IQ, adaptive behavior, and autism diagnosis. Two years after entering intervention, the ESDM group on average improved 17.6 standard score points (1 SD: 15 points) compared with 7.0 points in the comparison group relative to baseline scores. The ESDM group maintained its rate of growth in adaptive behavior compared with a normative sample of typically developing children. In contrast, over the 2-year span, the comparison group showed greater delays in adaptive behavior. Children who received ESDM also were more likely to experience a change in diagnosis from autism to pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, than the comparison group.

Conclusions: This is the first randomized, controlled trial to demonstrate the efficacy of a comprehensive developmental behavioral intervention for toddlers with ASD for improving cognitive and adaptive behavior and reducing severity of ASD diagnosis. Results of this study underscore the importance of early detection of and intervention in autism."

The main significances are the very young ages of the enrolled children and the experimental design of randomized controlled trials (RCT); it should be noted that some need for longitudinal followup to see if gains are maintained is discussed in the last paragraph of the full study, and that while 7 of the 24 student treatment group improved to PDD-NOS classification, 2 of the students in the treatment group moved from PDD to an Autistic Disorder diagnosis as well during the course of the study. The overall effect described for the treatment group was of significant benefit compared to the "community based" comparison group and spoke to a potential general benefit of early application of ESDM at the intensity and competency of service delivery as described in the Pediatrics article.

Two quotes from the news reporting,
CNN: "...[Sally] Rogers acknowledges that this study is only the first step. "Every piece of science needs to be replicated before it becomes fact, so we are currently doing a replication study," she said...."

Time: "...Whether the Early Start Denver Model will prove to be more effective than other therapies remains to be seen. Leading autism researcher Tristram Smith, an ABA expert at the University of Rochester, who lauds the new study for its methodological rigor, notes that the gains made by children in the intervention group were similar to those reported in studies of ABA models. "I do think there is a need for head-to-head studies," says Smith. Also needed is high-quality research on how to match individual children with the therapy that suits them best."

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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,