In September the National Autism Center released its National Standards Report. This report is the most recent and comprehensive study about the viability of treatment methodologies for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There has long been confusion and conflicting information about the best treatment methods to address ASD. This report is an invaluable resource for parents and advocates for help focusing discussions with school districts for developing effective IEPs.
The report identifies eleven methodologies as “established” practices. These are treatments that are based on peer-reviewed research and have produced beneficial results in a number of controlled studies. The report also names a number of practices that are “emerging treatments” such as music therapy and language training. Other practices are identified as “unestablished” as they provided little or no benefit in the controlled studies.
Parents and advocates for children with ASD should demand education practices that are supported by peer-reviewed research. School staff should be able to clearly support and explain how a proposed program for a child meets the criteria for “established” practices as defined by this new report. The National Standards Report can be a valuable tool for parents and schools to fashion meaningful and individualized IEPs for children with ASD.
