A current criticism of the ABA field/industry is that as
more and more investors come in, expand existing companies, and open new and
large, multi-state companies, quality assurance is decreasing.
How are we intentionally and systematically evaluating the effectiveness
of treatment, client outcomes, and individual client response to intervention? Not just at a large, across clients level, but for each individual case/client/treatment plan (e.g. "For THIS specific client, was treatment effective?").
There has been criticism aimed at ABA that it doesn’t work, lacks
large group data comparisons, is only effective with specific ages/ability levels,
or is less effective at lower treatment hours. (See recommended reading below for
more on this).
Sometimes this criticism is in itself, flawed and
misinformed. Such as many funders viewing “successful treatment” as reducing
or eliminating common Autistic characteristics, i.e. Stimming.
Ethically, a qualified BCBA or practitioner will not intervene on a behavior
unless there is a demonstrated clinical need to do so. The goal of ABA is not “normalization”,
so if we are measured by a “normalization” measuring stick, then yes…. We will
fail.
But, in other instances the criticisms about our field need to be heard,
and embedded into how we practice.
For example, when an organization is reporting on “client
success rates”, common variables that are included are things such as: amount
of time from 1st parent contact to services starting, how much of
the insurance authorization is being consistently utilized, how many states is
the company in/what is the new market expansion rate, etc.
But what about: Are the caregivers/parents satisfied with treatment outcomes? Measuring social validity of the specific strategies and techniques used? And very important--à What does the actual client receiving services have to say about it? Is their experience of ABA positive? Negative? Do their own self-determination goals and life needs factor in to the ABA treatment plan? Was the client consulted and collaborated with as the treatment plan was being compiled?
And, oh yes: Are we measuring practitioner satisfaction
rates? At the direct staff and supervisory level? If you think revolving door RBT’s, burned out BCBAs, and underpaid and undervalued practitioners will
have no effect on the quality of treatment provided to consumers, you are
living in a fantasy world.
I see few outcome measures like this in the field, but I do
see more of this starting to happen. Starting to become more prevalent at
both the practitioner, and the organizational level. Which is wonderful. There are some companies out there working very hard to go against the tide, and to stand out from the pack.
We have to look beyond progress to goal mastery/completed targets, and completing
the assessment grid, to evaluate if our services are truly effective or not. And
by “evaluate”, I mean putting on our clinical hat and collecting the data,
examining the data, making decisions based on the data, and letting the data
guide how we do business and serve consumers, day in and day out.
We have to look beyond just decreasing and
increasing behaviors, because did we decrease/increase the behaviors most
salient to the individual receiving services? Or to their parent? The word “effective”
can encompass multiple complex variables, which means it will require input
from multiple sources (funders, caregivers, clients, practitioners, and
organizations/agencies).
We have to #DoBetter both as practitioners, and as
organizations. There is far too much at stake here for the clients we serve,
the families we support, the stakeholders we report to, and the public
perception of our field.
*Recommended Reading:
"Does ABA Therapy Really Work?"
"Why is ABA Therapy not working?"
"When ABA Therapy Isn't For You"
'US Govt. Reports that ABA doesn't work'
"Parent Perceptions about ASD Influence Treatment Choices"
"Why Caregivers discontinue ABA"
"An Evaluation of the Effects of Intensity and Duration on Outcomes"
"Systematic Review of Tools to Measure Outcomes for Young Children with ASD"
'ASD Intervention: How do we measure effectiveness?'
'The controversy over Autism's most common therapy'
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