This paper presents a best evidence synthesis of interventions to increase social behavior for individuals with autism. Sixty-six studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2001 and July 2008 with 513 participants were included. The results are presented by the age of the individual receiving intervention and by delivery agent of intervention. The findings suggest there is much empirical evidence supporting many different treatments for the social deficits of individuals with autism. Using the criteria of evidence-based practice proposed by Reichow et al. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38:1311-1318, 2008), social skills groups and video modeling have accumulated the evidence necessary for the classifications of established EBP and promising EBP, respectively. Recommendations for practice and areas of future research are provided.

Although research in autism has grown more sophisticated, the gap between research knowledge and applicability of research in real world settings has grown. There have been a number of different reviews of evidence-based practices of treatments for young children with autism. Reviews which have critically evaluated the empirical evidence have not found any treatments that can be considered evidence-based. Reasons for this shortcoming are explored, and a new method for the evaluation of empirical evidence is provided. Future uses of this evaluative method are provided as well as a discussion of how this tool might aid in narrowing the research to practice gap.

This paper presents an overview of 5 meta-analyses of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) published in 2009 and 2010. There were many differences between meta-analyses, leading to different estimates of effect and overall conclusions. The weighted mean effect sizes across meta-analyses for IQ and adaptive behavior ranged from g = .38-1.19 and g = .30-1.09, respectively. Four of five meta-analyses concluded EIBI was an effective intervention strategy for many children with ASDs. A discussion highlighting potential confounds and limitations of the meta-analyses leading to these discrepancies and conclusions about the efficacy of EIBI as an intervention for young children with ASDs are provided.

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Four overlap methods for quantitatively synthesizing single-subject data were compared to visual analysts’ judgments. The overlap methods were percentage of nonoverlapping data, pairwise data overlap squared, percentage of data exceeding the median, and percentage of data exceeding a median trend. Visual analysts made judgments about 160 A-B data sets selected randomly from the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis . The four overlap methods were compared for data sets in which all visual analysts agreed a change in data occurred or a change did not occur across conditions. Each overlap method had unacceptably high levels of errors. Given the findings and weaknesses of the overlap methods, their use should be abandoned. The desirable characteristics of a quantitative synthesis method are described.

Objective This study evaluated the potential impact of proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method This study focused on a sample of 977 participants evaluated during the DSM-IV field trial; 657 carried a clinical diagnosis of an ASD, and 276 were diagnosed with a non-autistic disorder. Sensitivity and specificity for proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were evaluated using field trial symptom checklists as follows: (a) individual field trial checklist items (e.g., nonverbal communication), (b) checklist items grouped together as described by a single DSM-5 symptom (e.g., nonverbal and verbal communication), (c) individual DSM-5 criterion (e.g., social-communicative impairment), and (d) overall diagnostic criteria. Results When applying proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD, 60.6% (95% confidence interval: 57–64%) of cases with a clinical diagnosis of an ASD met revised DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD. Overall specificity was high, with 94.9% (95% confidence interval: 92–97%) of individuals accurately excluded from the spectrum. Sensitivity varied by diagnostic subgroup (Autistic Disorder =.76; Asperger’s Disorder = .25; PDD-NOS = .28) and cognitive ability (IQ < 70 = .70; IQ ≥ 70 = .46). Conclusions Proposed DSM-5 criteria substantially alter the composition of the autism spectrum. Revised criteria improve specificity, but exclude a substantial portion of cognitively able individuals and those with ASDs other than Autistic Disorder. A more stringent diagnostic rubric holds significant public health ramifications regarding service eligibility and compatibility of historical and future research.

A 3-part comprehensive synthesis of the early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism based on the University of California at Los Angeles Young Autism Project method (Lovaas in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3-9, 1987) is presented. The three components of the synthesis were: (a) descriptive analyses, (b) effect size analyses, and (c) a meta-analysis. The findings suggest EIBI is an effective treatment, on average, for children with autism. The conditions under which this finding applies and the limitations and cautions that must be taken when interpreting the results are discussed within the contextual findings of the moderator analyses conducted in the meta-analysis.

The increase in the number of higher-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is likely to lead to an increased interest in postsecondary opportunities including degree-granting college and university programs. To provide an understanding of the current evidence-base for supporting individuals with ASD in higher education, this article reports the results of a systematic review of the literature concerning college students with ASD. Overall, 20 articles describing 69 individuals met the inclusion criteria. This small number of articles and participants indicates the scarcity of research on this topic and only two of these studies were experimental in nature. These studies described a video-self modeling intervention and a counseling intervention respectively. Eighteen "case studies" were also present in the literature that described difficulties ranging from anxiety to housing concerns. This review deliniates the limitation of our understanding of effective college programming for individuals with ASD.