1. Chapter 4 Review: The Appeal of Unvalidated Treatments ToniAnne Giunta Caldwell College

2. Overview Opening Activity: Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! Claims About Treatments Evaluating Interventions Closing Activity: Effective or Not Effective? That is the REAL question!

3. Jacobson (2000) Carey (2009) Koegel & LaZebnik (2004) Freeman (2007) Apsell (1993) Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question!

4. “This treatment will cure your child.”

5. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “This treatment will provide enhanced learning, increased focus, improved body awareness, greater well-being, and a greater sense of self.”

6. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “Studies on this treatment have been thoroughly conducted.”

7. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “This treatment uses only the most sophisticated equipment.”

8. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “So many other parents have reported this treatment to be helpful with their children’s diagnoses.”

9. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “Your child has a single core deficit. Once corrected with this treatment, there will be global improvements in all aspects of functioning.”

10. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! “This treatment is natural, which means that it is safe.”

11. Claims About Treatments (Smith, 2005) OutcomesCure Healing, miracle, breakthrough Important-sounding but vague benefits Should translate to improvements in everyday functioning

12. Claims About Treatments (Smith, 2005) Evidence Uncontrolled studies Do not include controls, objective measures, or observable behaviors Opposition from the “establishment” Diversion tactic Technology Only reliable when controlled studies support its use for a specific problem

13. Claims About Treatments (Smith, 2005) Evidence Criticisms of validated treatments A selling point for interventions Subjective evidence Diet example

14. Claims About Treatments (Smith, 2005) Theory Core deficits Simplifying treatments Natural therapies “Too much water causes drowning” (p. 53)

15. Evaluating Interventions (Smith, 2005) Treatment combinations Do the treatments have tangible effects when presented alone? Detrimental effects

16. Evaluating Interventions (Smith, 2005) Experimenting 1. Make only one treatment change at a time 2. Identify target behaviors to be addressed 3. Objectively measure the behavior before and during treatment phases 4. Have blind raters also objectively measure the target behavior

17. Appealing or Not Appealing? That is the question! < not < REAL Effective or Not Effective?

18. Effective or Not Effective? That is the REAL question! “This treatment is scientifically validated.”

19. Effective or Not Effective? That is the REAL question! “The treatment has been designed around plausible theories.”

20. Effective or Not Effective? That is the REAL question! “This treatment has a high probability of success in increasing many functional skills, including in communication, social interaction, self-help, and leisure areas.”

21. Question period

22. References Apsell, P. S. (Producer). (1993). Secrets of the psychics [VHS]. Available from http://www.amazon.com/ http://www.amazon.com/ Carey, B. (2009, December 19). Study finds increased prevalence of autism. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/ Freeman, S. K. (2007). The complete guide to autism treatments: A parent’s handbook: Make sure your child gets what works! Lynden, WA: SKF Books, Inc. Jacobson, J. W. (2000, Spring). Is autism on the rise? Science in Autism Treatment, 2(1). Retrieved from http://asatonline.org/ http://asatonline.org/ Koegel, L. K., & LaZebnik, C. (2004). Overcoming autism. New York, NY: Penguin Books. Smith, T. (2005). The appeal of unvalidated treatments. In J. W. Jacobson, R. M. Foxx, & J. A. Mulick (Eds.), Controversial therapies for developmental disabilities: Fad, fashion, and science in professional practice (pp. 45-57). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.