Handbook of Evidence-Based Practices in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Brian Reichow, Ph.D., is Associate Director for Research and Evaluation at the University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Education, Research, and Service and Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn Health in Farmington Connecticut. Dr. Reichow’s current research interests include the translation of research to practice, the use of systematic review methods and meta-analytic methods to identify evidence-based practices, and applied research involving young children with or at risk of developing disabilities and their families. He has been a technical advisor for the World Health Organization for over a decade, assisting with the development of practice guidelines and training materials to increase the identification, management, and treatment of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in lower- and middle-income countries. Dr. Reichow is the current Editor of the Disability Coordinating Group of the Campbell Collaboration and Campbell Systematic Reviews and was Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Early Intervention from 2019-2024. He also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Widely published, Dr. Reichow has authored over 100 scholarly works. Prior to his graduate and post-doctoral studies at Vanderbilt University and Yale University, respectively, Dr. Reichow received degrees in elementary education and psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a teacher of students with autism in early care and education settings and public elementary schools in North Carolina. Peter Doehring, Ph.D., After a career leading school-, hospital-, and university-based programs in the USA and Canada helping people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Peter now works as an independent researcher and advocate for better policies and programs at the local, state, and national level, while continuing to publish and present internationally.  His focus broadened to children and parents facing the most significant levels of disability when his daughter Margot was born in 2000 with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, cerebral palsy, partial blindness, and a seizure disorder. His work now includes demonstrating how to use evidence-based practices to support people with disabilities in recreation, community volunteering, and environmental stewardship.  He has also been active in advocating for legislative changes at the state level, contributing to the passage of important legislation in both Delaware and Pennsylvania. Fred R. Volkmar, M.D., is the Dorothy Goodwin Family Chair in Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, USA and the Irving B. Harris Professor Emeritus of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven Connecticut. An international authority on Asperger’s disorder and autism, Dr. Volkmar was the primary author of the DSM-IV autism and pervasive developmental disorders section. He has authored several hundred scientific papers and has co-edited numerous books, including Asperger Syndrome, Healthcare for Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide to Medical, Nutritional, and Behavioral Issues, and the forthcoming fifth revision of the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. He serves as associate editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders for 15 years. He also has served as co-chairperson of the autism and intellectual and developmental disability committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has also served as editor of the Encyclopedia of Autism now in its 2nd edition.

• Section I: Introduction.- Chapter 1: Evidence-Based Practices in Autism: Where We Started.- Chapter 2: The Evolution of Evidence-based Practices in Autism Spectrum Disorder: How can These Begin to Support Individualized, Community-based Practice.- Section II: Evidence-based Comprehensive Programs.- Chapter 3: An Overview of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.- Chapter 4: Pivotal Response Treatment.- Chapter 5: The Early Start Denver Model.- Chapter 6: Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions.- Section III: Evidence-based Intervention Practices.- Chapter 7: Evidence-based Treatments in Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.- Chapter 8: A Review of Social Skills Programs and Approaches for Autistic Youth.- Chapter 9: Behavioral Intervention Techniques for Increasing Desirable Behaviors.- Chapter 10: Behavioral Intervention Techniques for Reducing Problem Behavior.- Chapter 11: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth with Autism: Review and Recommendations for Treatment Development.- Chapter 12: Psychopharmacology in Autism.- Chapter 13: Sensory Interventions: Evidence and Appropriate Use.- Chapter 14: Project ImPACT.- Section IV: Conclusion and Future Directions for Research and Practice.- Chapter 15: Considering Emerging, Complementary, and Alternative Treatments.- Chapter 16: Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Inclusive School Settings.- Chapter 17: Applications of Evidence-based Practice in Medical Settings.- Chapter 18: Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.- Chapter 19: Applications of Evidence-based Practice in Community Settings for Transition-aged Youth.- Chapter 20: Lessons Learned from Comprehensive Reviews.- Chapter 21: Why, and How, We Produced the Guidelines for Autism in Scotland.- Chapter 22: Final Thoughts.