Papers by Coleen Sparkman
We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum ... more We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorders. Twenty-nine children received intensive behavior analytic intervention (IBT; 1:1 adult:child ratio, 25-40 hours per week). A comparison group (n = 16) received intensive "eclectic" intervention (a combination of methods, 1:1 or 1:2 ratio, 30 hours per week) in public special education classrooms (designated the AP group). A second comparison group (GP) comprised 16 children in nonintensive public early intervention programs (a combination of methods, small groups, 15 hours per week). Independent examiners administered standardized tests of cognitive, language, and adaptive skills to children in all 3 groups at intake and about 14 months after treatment began. The groups were similar on key variables at intake. At followup, the IBT group had higher mean standard scores in all skill domains than the AP and GP groups. The differences were statistically significant for all domains except motor skills. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the AP and GP groups. Learning rates at followup were also substantially higher for children in the IBT group than for either of the other two groups. These findings are consistent with other research showing that IBT is considerably more efficacious than "eclectic" intervention.
The journal of speech and language pathology, applied behavior analysis, 2007
Research in Developmental Disabilities, Dec 1, 2014
Research in Developmental Disabilities, Jul 1, 2005
We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum ... more We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorders. Twenty-nine children received intensive behavior analytic intervention (IBT; 1:1 adult:child ratio, 25-40 hours per week). A comparison group (n = 16) received intensive "eclectic" intervention (a combination of methods, 1:1 or 1:2 ratio, 30 hours per week) in public special education classrooms (designated the AP group). A second comparison group (GP) comprised 16 children in nonintensive public early intervention programs (a combination of methods, small groups, 15 hours per week). Independent examiners administered standardized tests of cognitive, language, and adaptive skills to children in all 3 groups at intake and about 14 months after treatment began. The groups were similar on key variables at intake. At followup, the IBT group had higher mean standard scores in all skill domains than the AP and GP groups. The differences were statistically significant for all domains except motor skills. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the AP and GP groups. Learning rates at followup were also substantially higher for children in the IBT group than for either of the other two groups. These findings are consistent with other research showing that IBT is considerably more efficacious than "eclectic" intervention.
We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum ... more We compared the effects of 3 treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorders. Twenty-nine children received intensive behavior analytic intervention (IBT; 1:1 adult:child ratio, 25-40 hours per week). A comparison group (n = 16) received intensive "eclectic" intervention (a combination of methods, 1:1 or 1:2 ratio, 30 hours per week) in public special education classrooms (designated the AP group). A second comparison group (GP) comprised 16 children in nonintensive public early intervention programs (a combination of methods, small groups, 15 hours per week). Independent examiners administered standardized tests of cognitive, language, and adaptive skills to children in all 3 groups at intake and about 14 months after treatment began. The groups were similar on key variables at intake. At followup, the IBT group had higher mean standard scores in all skill domains than the AP and GP groups. The differences were statistically significant for all domains except motor skills. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the AP and GP groups. Learning rates at followup were also substantially higher for children in the IBT group than for either of the other two groups. These findings are consistent with other research showing that IBT is considerably more efficacious than "eclectic" intervention.
comparison of intensive behavior analytic and
The Journal of Speech and Language Pathology – Applied Behavior Analysis, 2007
ABSTRACT We would like to take this opportunity to correct some misrepresentations of our study &... more ABSTRACT We would like to take this opportunity to correct some misrepresentations of our study "A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism" (Howard et al., 2005) that have appeared in this journal and elsewhere. Although we welcome thoughtful and informed criticisms of our research, we think the field and the best interests of children with autism are seriously jeopardized by the dissemination of unfounded statements and insinuations about the study and those involved in it. To attenuate those harms, we respectfully offer the following pertinent facts about the Howard et al. (2005) study: • The nonpublic agency that provided intensive behavior analytic treatment to the experimental group in our study has never refused to serve a child with autism who was referred to its in-home or center-based programs from any of its 17 different funding sources (Special Education Local Planning Agencies, Regional Centers, and school districts), as long as there were adequate resources to staff and supervise the programming. • Children who participated in our study were actually served and referred to the study by two different Regional Centers.
Research in developmental disabilities
We compared the effects of three treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spect... more We compared the effects of three treatment approaches on preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorders. Twenty-nine children received intensive behavior analytic intervention (IBT; 1:1 adult:child ratio, 25-40 h per week). A comparison group (n=16) received intensive "eclectic" intervention (a combination of methods, 1:1 or 1:2 ratio, 30 h per week) in public special education classrooms (designated the AP group). A second comparison group (GP) comprised 16 children in non-intensive public early intervention programs (a combination of methods, small groups, 15 h per week). Independent examiners administered standardized tests of cognitive, language, and adaptive skills to children in all three groups at intake and about 14 months after treatment began. The groups were similar on key variables at intake. At follow-up, the IBT group had higher mean standard scores in all skill domains than the AP and GP groups. The differences were statistically significant for all d...
The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 2014
Multidisciplinary practice has become an accepted approach in many education and social and healt... more Multidisciplinary practice has become an accepted approach in many education and social and health care fields. In fact, the right to a multidisciplinary assessment is enshrined in the United Nations Convention of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2007). In order to avert a ‘one size fits all’ response to particularly heterogeneous diagnoses, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends multidisciplinary input. Yet, multidisciplinarity lacks empirical evidence of effectiveness, is fraught with conceptual difficulties and methodological incompatibilities, and therefore there is a danger of resorting to an ill-defined eclectic ‘hodgepodge’ of interventions. Virtually all evidence-based interventions in autism and intellectual disabilities are behaviourally based. Not surprisingly, therefore, professionals trained in behaviour analysis to international standards are increasingly becoming key personnel ...
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2010
were diagnosed with autism at age 2 could not produce sentences at 9 years of age (Anderson et al... more were diagnosed with autism at age 2 could not produce sentences at 9 years of age (Anderson et al., 2007). Additionally, delayed and atypical syntactical development have been observed when the vocal communication skills of children with autism have been compared to those of typically developing and developmentally delayed peers of the same mental age and similar-sized vocabularies (Bartolucci,
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2014
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Papers by Coleen Sparkman