Autism Spectrum Disorder Experiment - Essay Example

Lovaas (1987) for Autistic Children Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is known for having impairment in social, cognitive, language and communication development (Hollander 3; MacKenzie 19). Today, almost 80% of all ASD cases have unknown causality (Matson 92). This makes it difficult for healthcare professionals to create effective treatment plan for patients with ASD. ASD is characterized by having repetitive mannerisms (MacKenzie 19), mild-to-severe form of self-injurious behaviour (i.e. violently banging the head on a wall, hair pulling, etc.) (Edelson), agression, abnormal speech, and less signs of emotional attachment (Lovaas a). Because of their disruptive behaviours and communication disorders, children with ASD find it difficult to interact with other people (Hodgetts, Savage and McConnell). Therefore, it is essential for healthcare professionals to find an effective treatment intervention that works best for ASD children. In 1987, Lovaas’ applied behaviour analysis (ABA) programme was applied among children with ASD which proves to be effective in terms of improving the children’s intellectual capacity by up to 90% (Lovaas a). However, Lovaas’ ABA programme is not one that is free from critics. To determine whether or not it is appropriate to use the Lovaas’ model in treating children with ASD, this essay will focus on analyzing its positive and negative points. Developments in Lovaas’ ABA Technique Lovaas conducted a long-term experiment which lasted for more than 2 years by assigning 19 autistic children to receive intensive treatment of more than 40 hours one-on-one intervention each week (experimental group) and another 19 autistic children to receive minimal treatment of a maximum of 10 hours one-on-one intervention each week (controlled group) (Lovaas a). Lovaas’ adopted the use of a discrete-trial during the entire teaching process and eventually rewards each child with positive remarks like praises (Jacobson, Mulick and Green; Lovaasa; Sallows and Graupner) whereas disruptive behaviors are controlled by negative reinforcement like punishment (Lovaas a). Based on the research findings, Lovaas (a) found out that 9 out of 19 children (47%) who were assigned in experimental group managed to develop a “normal intellectual and educational functioning” with an increase in IQ score of at least 30 points more than the controlled group. It means that Lovaas’ technique is effective in teaching autistic children how to increase the use of language and other basic skills like communicating with other people (Jacobson, Mulick and Green). In a follow-up study that was conducted in 1993, Lovaas (b) examined the developments in treating autistic children since 1963 which made him conclude that one of the best and most effective treatments for autistic child with severe disruptive behaviour is to require the child to receive early treatment and intervention. Doing so will increase the chance wherein the parents could be taught how to immediately identify and remove all environmental factors that could increase the child’s risks for self-injury (Lovaas b). In a replication of Lovaas’ study, Smith, Groen and Wynn conducted an intensive treamtent programme on 7 autistic children and 8 children with pervasive developmental disorder for an average of 24.52 hours each week for a time span of 1 year on top of the parent training programme which was given to 7 parents of autistic children and 6 parents of children with pervasive developmental disorder for a time span of 3 to 9 months. Based on the research findings, Smith, Groen and Wynn found out that the provision of intensive treatment programme is more effective in terms of increasing childrens’ academic performance, visual-spatial skills, the use of language, and overall intelligence but not behavioral problems or adaptive functioning. Critique of the Studies Several studies found out that the use of Lovaas’ intervention technique was found to be effective when applied to pre-school autistic children (Howard, Sparkman and Cohen; Smith, Lovaas and Lovaas). Despite the positive remarks made on Lovaas’ method, his approach used in treating autism was criticized for overstating their claims with regards to its effectiveness (Francis). Considering the fact that Smith, Lovaas and Lovaas’ 1 hour intensive behavioral intervention in each 4 sessions has proven to be enough in terms of improving autistic child’s ability to participate in interactive place and speech, requiring autistic child’s family to expose the child to more than 40 hours one-on-one intensive treatment intervention each week as suggested by Lovaas (1987) is not only time consuming but very costly (Elder; Lovaas and Wright). Aside from criticizing Lovaas’ 1987 study for not having a good experimental design (Gresham and MacMillar), criticisms were also made on how Lovaas measured the research participants’ IQ level (Ekeseth; Gresham and MacMillar). As explained by Boyd, the use of uneven gender ratio can be a source of error when measuring the IQ scores of young boys and girls. Furthermore, Lovaas’ initial use of negative reinforcement teachnique such as shouting, yelling, or the use of electrical shocks was also criticized to be ineffective and can lead to psychological problems as the child becomes an adult (Iwata). New Directions for ASD Treatment Today, there are other options for ASD treatment. For instance, as compared to ABA approach, Leaf, Taubman and McEachin strongly suggest that the use of intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) programme is more effective in terms of improving autistic child’s intellectual abilities and overal functional skills on top of reducing problems related to unacceptable behaviors. In general, dealing with autisic children can be very stressful (Hodgetts, Savage and McConnell). To ensure that the parents and family members are able to adopt to the needs of autistic children, Hodgetts, Savage and McConnell strongly suggest the use of the standard spping stones triple P (SSTP) strategies to help improve the psychological well-being of parents and family members. To gain better understanding of how autistic child’s mind works, Miller, Odegard and Allen strongly suggest the need to adopt the use of Theory of Mind, Executive Function, and the Fuzzy Trace Theory. Conclusion Lovaas’ ABA technique has been exaggerated in terms of its efficacy in treating children with ASD. Furthermore, there seems to be a lot of questions with regards to the appropriateness in the research method used by Lovaas. Therefore, it is best to consider other technique like IBI when treating children with ASD. References Boyd, Richard D. "Sex as possible source of group inequivalence in Lovaas." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 28.3 (1998): 211-215. Edelson, Stephen M. 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New York: Marcel Dekker Inc., 2003. Print. Howard, Jane S., Coleen R. Sparkman, Howard G. Cohen, Gina Green, and Harold Stanislaw. "A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism." Research in Developmental Disabilities 26.4 (2005): 359-383. Iwata, Brian A. "Negative reinforcement in applied behavior analysis: An emerging technology." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 20.4 (1987): 361-378. Jacobson, John W., James A. Mulick and Gina Green. "Cost-benefit estimates for early intensive behavioral intervention for young children with autism: General model and single state case." Behavioral Interventions 13.4 (1998): 201-226. Leaf, Ronald B., Mitchell T. Taubman, John J. McEachin, Justin B. Leaf, and Kathleen H. Tsuji. "A Program Description of a Community-Based Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders." Education and Treatment of Children 34.2 (2011): 259-285. Lovaas, O. Ivar and Scott Wright. "A Reply to Recent Public Critiques..." JEIBI 3.2 (2006): 221-229. Lovaas, O. Ivar. "Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 55.1 (1987 a): 3-9. Lovaas, O. Ivar. "The development of a treatment-research project for developmentally disabled and autistic children." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 26.4 (1993 b): 617-630. MacKenzie, Heather. Reaching and Teaching the Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using Learning Preferences and Strengths. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008. Print. Matson, Johnny L. Clinical Assessment and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders. London: Academic Press, 2008. Print. Miller, Haylie L., Timothy N. Odegard and Greg Allen. "Evaluating information processing in Autism." Developmental Review 34.1 (2014): 44-76. Sallows, Glen O. and Tamlynn D. Graupner. "Intensive behavioral treatment for children with autism: four-year outcome and predictors." American Journal of Mental Retardation 110.6 (2005): 417-438. Smith, Tristram, Nina W. Lovaas and O. Ivar Lovaas. "Behaviors of children with high-functioning autism when paired with typically developing versus delayed peers: A preliminary study." Behavioral Interventions 17.3 (2002): 129-143. Smith, Tristram, Annette D. Groen and Jacqueline W. Wynn. "Randomized trial of intensive early intervention for children with pervasive developmental disorder." American Journal on Mental Retardation 105.4 (2000): 269-285. Read More