Selecting and Implementing an Evidence-Based Intervention for ASD

Step 1 The first stage in selecting an intervention is to identify the need of the child with ASD. The child considered in this artefact is a member my current class but her name has been changed. After discussion with her RTLB, teacher aide and class share teacher , we decided to focus on Sam remaining on the mat with her peers during morning mat time. Observations revelaed that Sam often left the mat during a transition e.g. from song to day board or role to brain gym. Sam sits quietly on the mat raising her hand to offer answers. However, once she leaves the mat she becomes quite vocal and runs around the room. This has a very unsettling effect on another high needs pupil who leaves what he is doing to join Sam. Often this becomes so disruptive that the teacher has to stop the session to intervene. There is no TA support during this period of the day. Our goal is to increase Sams on-task behaviour by her remaining on the mat for the whole of this session. Step 2 The second stage is to select an appropriate evidence based intervention to meet this need.
National Standards Project

National Professional Development Centre

Research Autism

Evidence Based Practice

Behavioural Intervention Strategies

Prompting Reinforcement Task analysis and chaining Time delay Computer-aided instruction Discrete trial training (DTT) Naturalistic interventions Parent-implemented interventions Peer-mediated instruction/intervention (PMII) Picture exchange communication system (PECS) Pivotal response training (PRT)

X X X X X X X X X X X X

established established established established established established established emergent established uncertain

n/a n/a -

established established promising -

Positive Behavioural Support Strategies

Functional behaviour assessment (FBA)

Raising Children

Stimulus control/Environmental modification Response interruption/redirection Functional communication training (FCT) Extinction Differential reinforcement (DRA/I/O/L) Self-management Social narratives Social skills training groups Structured work systems Video modelling Visual supports VOCA/ Speech Generating Devices (SGD)

X X X X X X X X X X X X

established established established established established established established established -

Unrated Unrated No evidence -

established established Unrated as yet Unrated as yet

A Self-Management intervention was selected. This intervention meets the criteria for being an evidence-based practice for both the National Professional Development Centre and the National Standards Project. It is listed by Research Autism but has not been evaluated at the current time. It was not listed on the Raising Children site. Stage 3 This next stage requires that the intervention is implemented following the same methodology as the scientific studies used in the evidence-based practice reviews. To assist educators and parents in this task The National Autism Centre has develop a series of Autism Internet Modules. This is an ongoing project and currently contains modules for 43 evidencebased interventions, including SelfManagement. The Self-management module includes links to the following pages plus an introductory video.Introduction
Pre-assessment Objectives CEC Professional Standards Overview What is self-management? Self-management across the life span? Goals of self-management Who can implement self-management? Who can benefit most from self-management? Step by step instructions Case Study examples Summary Evidence base for self-management Frequently asked questions? Citation and references Post-assessment Resources Step by step instructions Implementation Checklist Glossary Documents Discussion Questions Activities

Using the Autism Internet Modules requires a simple, free online registration procedure and then resources are available for downloading and step by step advice is available online for

every aspect of the intervention, ensuring the accurate and effective implementation of the intervention. Conclusion Having found this appropriate implementation for Sam my next step is to share the idea with her family, the RTLB and TA to get their feedback , and to establish the format the intervention will take within the guidelines from the Autism Internet Module. With this structured evidencebased intervention I hope we can help Sam to remain on the mat for the whole of the first session of the day by the end of this term. Having acquired this skill will be a big advantage for her when she moves onto Year 2 in February.

References Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2013, from Raising Children Network: http://raisingchildren.net.au/children_with_autism/children_with_autism_landing.html
Dashboard. (2013). Retrieved from Autsim Internet Modules: http://www.autisminternetmodules.org/dash.php?cat=dash_tab_mn

National Autism Centre. (2011). Evidence-based practice and autism in the schools. Massachusetts. Odom, S., Collet-Kingenberg, L., Rogers, S., & Hatton, D. (2010). Evidence-based practices in interventions for children and youth wth autism spectrum disorders. Preventng School Failure: Alternative Education For Children and Youth, 54 (4), 275-282. Ospina, M., Seida, J., Clark, B., Karkhaneh, M., Tjosvold, L., Vandermeer, B., & Smith , V. (2008). Behavioural and developmental interventions for autism sectrum disorder: A clinical systematic review. PLos One, 3(11). Research Autism. (2013). Interventions, Treatments and Therapies for Autism. Retrieved from Research Autsim: http://researchautism.net/pages/autism_treatments_therapies_interventions/