The Ontario intensive behavioural intervention treatment program is intentioned and based on what is known as the Lovaas protocol for -treatment. This involves not only certain qualification standards of regulated professionals and other health care professionals (IBI therapists) for the child’s treatment program but also a protocol for intensity of hours to achieve best outcomes. It could be nothing but, or that would mean that Ontario would have ignored the current peer reviewed scientific literature.
Parents of children with autism are bombarded on a regular basis by members of an autism industry touting the latest discovery as a cure for autism. Fortunately, science can protect parents against the "cure of the day". So to answer this question, click here:
If you would like to hear what Dr. Lovaas has to say about appropriate early intervention for children with autism, click here:
An Open Letter from Dr. Lovaas
IBI is not experimental. If you would like to read a summary on this topic by Dr. Eric Larson of the LIFE institute, click here:
Intensive Early Intervention using behaviour therapy is no longer experiemental
Recently, the New York State Department of Health completed a 3 year study on "best practices" for the diagnosis and treastment ofchildren with autism. Their conclusion, which is based on sicnece, is that Intensive Behavioral Treatment is the best practice for children with autism. In their report, they relied heavily on the work of Dr. O.I. Lovaas.
If you would like to order a copy of the New York Report, you can reach their web site by clicking on the link below.
New York Guideline Technical Report
The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, M.D. Ph.D., in 1999 issued a report on Mental Health. In that report, under treatment (p. 164) he spends considerable time outlining Lovaas' work and say, "Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning and appropriate social behavior. A well-designed study of a psychosocial intervention was carried out by Lovaas and colleagues (Lovaas, 1987; McEachin et al., 1993)...."p. 164.
If you would like to download the relevant chapter regarding autism from the US Surgeon General's report, click on the chapter 3 link below.
If you would like to download the entire US Surgeon General's report, click
Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General
FEAT supports and encourages ongoing gold-standard research studies into the cause or causes of Autism, such as the groundbreaking genome project from Sick Children's Hospital. As with any medical condition, research should be a fundamental consideration in policy development and implementation at the ground level.
Currently, Lovaas based protocol IBI treatment (which is commonly referred to as ABA in the STATES) is the most effective treatment based on peer reviewed research.
Parents who wish to rely on science to determine what is the most effective intervention model for their child often find they are thrust into a world of studies unfamiliar to them. The National Acadamy of Sciences (NAS) published a paper that discussed other intensive models of behaviour intervention. In order to assist parents and professionals in understanding why the Lovaas research and protocol is what Ontario relied on please see the analysis of that paper, comparing the different models.
Analysis of different IBI models based on the NAS paper
Review of the current scientific literature does not support the use of "aba supports" (which is proposed by the Government of Ontario for school age individuals with autism) to treat Autism. It is not the same as the Ontario IBI treatment model for children with Autism.
A comparison of Treatment and Educaiton of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children (TEACCH) and Lovass.