National Autism Center Inc

Programs: The national autism center at may institute (nac) is dedicated to supporting effective evidence-based information about the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (asd), and to providing direction to families, practitioners, organizations, policymakers, and funders. The center identifies effective programming, shares practical information with families about how to respond to the challenges they face, and develops training and service models for practitioners. Finally, the center works to shape public policy concerning asd and its treatment through the development and dissemination of national standards of practice. Nacs first major initiative was the multi-year national standards project. The projects primary goal was to provide critical information about which interventions have been shown to be effective for individuals with asd. Phase 1 of the national standards project (released in 2009) examined and quantified the level of research supporting interventions that target the core characteristics of asd in children, adolescents, and young adults (below 22 years of age) on the autism spectrum. The resulting report covered a broad range of applied treatments and identifies the level of scientific evidence available for each. The project included 775 research studies the largest number of studies ever reviewed. For the first time, families were able to find specific information about the age groups, treatment targets, and diagnostic populations to which these treatments have been applied. The findings of the national standards project (phase 1) include the identification of: - 11 "established" treatments: treatments that produce beneficial outcomes and are known to be effective for individuals on the autism spectrum. - 22 "emerging" treatments: treatments that have some evidence of effectiveness, but not enough to be confident that they are truly effective. - 5 "unestablished" treatments: treatments for which there is no sound evidence of effectiveness. Phase 2 of the national standards project (released in 2015) provided an update to the literature for interventions for those under age 22, and also included studies evaluating interventions for adults (22+), which have never before been systematically evaluated. Phase 2 reviewed studies published between 2007 and february of 2012. As in the first iteration of the national standards project, the focus was an evaluation of educational and behavioral intervention literature for individuals with asd. The review updated the summary of asd treatment literature for children and youth under age 22. The project updated original findings, added information, and evaluated whether any of the "emerging" interventions in nsp1 had moved into the "established"unestablished" categories in nsp2. This phase also analyzed intervention outcome studies for individuals ages 22 years and older. Because the first phase of the national standards project focused solely on interventions for individuals under age 22, the recent literature search for individuals ages 22+ spanned several decades. The earliest intervention outcome study for individuals ages 22+ was published in 1987. Additional dissemination projects for the national autism center at may institute include: -a parent's guide to autism and evidence-based practice, a comprehensive manual for families with criteria for selecting evidence-based services and programs that have been proven effective and are backed by scientific research. -evidence-based practice and autism in the schools, editions 1 and 2: manuals for public school systems outlining specific evidence-based program components, procedures, and implementation strategies. Individuals from all u. S. States and more than 170 countries have visited the nac website to access information about nsp1 and nsp2.