A Practical Guide to Finding Treatments That Work for People with Autism

Dr. Susan Wilczynski is the Plassman Family Distinguished Professor at Ball State University, a licensed psychologist, and a board-certified behavior analyst. She holds a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University. Susan conducts research on training practitioners to use the diversity affirming evidence-based practice decision-making model, which strongly emphasizes social validity, quality of life, and person-centered care. She serves on the nursing division of Wolters-Kluwer Publishing House’s diversity advisory board. Susan is the former Coordinator for ABAI’s Practice Board, served on their Task Force for the Promotion of Quality and Values-Based ABA, and on their Licensing Committee. As the former Executive Director of the National Autism Center, she chaired the first National Standards Project, the most comprehensive systematic review of behavioral and educational interventions supporting Autistic people of its time. She developed the first center-based intervention program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Susan has edited and/or written multiple books, including Postsecondary Transition for College- or Career-Bound Autistic Students. She has published in numerous journals such as Behavior Analysis in Practice, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, and Psychology in the Schools.

• Section I: Evidence-Based Practice: A Brief OverviewSection II: Best Available Evidence1. Systematic Review2. Other Sources of EvidenceSection III: Target, Stakeholder, and Leader Client Variables, Values, and Preferences3. Client Health4. Client Repertoire and Behavioral Cusps5. Client Preferences6. Quality of Life, Generalization, and Social Validity7. Treatment Acceptability and Social Validity8. Treatment Feasibility and Social Validity9. Context Matters: Getting Systems to Adopt TreatmentsSection IV: Professional Judgment10. Initial Selection: Weighing and Integrating Information11. Progress Monitoring12. Determining the Next StepSection V. Conclusions and Examples