Treatment Planning for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Naomi Chedd, LMHC, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and an Educational Consultant in private practice.  She specializes in the behavioral, social/emotional, and mental health issues related to children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Prader-Willi Syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Karen Levine, PhD is a Licensed Psychologist and Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  She was co-founder and co-director of Boston Children’s Hospital's former Center for Autism and Related Disorders Clinic and worked in the field of developmental disabilities for twenty-five years. She is the 2012 recipient of thefirst Lesley University Austim Hero Award.

• Preface xiAcknowledgments xvAbout the Authors xvii1 Introduction: Looking at Treatment Planning Through a Different Lens 1Defining Best Practices 2Media Overload 3A New Way of Thinking About Autism Treatment 4Core Deficits of Autism 5How the Book Is Organized 5Why There Is Confusion About Evidence Based Practice in Treating ASD 5Case Studies 8About the Appendices 102 What Is Evidence-Based Practice? 11What Is So Important About EBP? 12Common Errors in Evaluating Treatments 12Correlation Versus Causality 13Determining Treatment Effect When the Child Is Receiving Multiple Treatments 14Emotions Versus Logic 14Face Validity 15How Can Treatments Be Evaluated? 16History of Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology 17Brief History of EBP and Autism 18Evolution and Expansion of EBP 20EBP as it Pertains to Autism 22Clinical Judgment 23Autism-Specific Versus Nonspecific Treatments 24The Evolution of Treatment Models and Terminology 24Client Voice in What to Treat and How to Treat 27Family Preferences 31What Is Important to Study? What Is Important to Treat? 32The Role of Context in Treatment Selection 34Positive and Negative Policy Implications of Uses of EBP in Autism Treatments 35Conclusions and Recommendations 373 The Individualized, Problem-Solving Treatment Process 39Our Beliefs and Biases 41The Role of Children’s Emotions 43The Challenge of Generalization 44Strengthening Social Connections 45Individualized Treatment Planning Process 464 Jamal: A Previously Happy Preschooler Disengages 715 Katherine: A 9-Year-Old Learns to Cope With Her Own Explosive Episodes 856 Brandon: Developmental Delays and OCD Present a Big Challenge for a Nonverbal Preschooler 1037 Rafael: A Happy, Well-Behaved 6-Year-Old Becomes Increasingly Rigid 1198 Alex: Extreme Mood Dysregulation Interferes With School and Home Functioning for a Fourth Grader 1399 Emily: A Passive Teenager Begins to Learn Self-Help Skills 15710 Chen: A Teenager With Asperger’s Hits Bottom, But With Help and Determination, Heads for College 17311 Michael: A 10-Year-Old Whose Behaviors Are Becoming More Disruptive and Aggressive 18912 Jake: A 5-Year-Old Who Has Responded Well to Floortime TM 207Afterword 215Appendix: Autism Treatment Approaches 221References 229Author Index 239Subject Index 243