Evidence for Effectiveness of ABA as a Treatment for Autism

Introduction

This document summarizes medical and scientific evidence for effectiveness of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a treatment for autism spectrum disorder. It includes:

• Peer-reviewed literature
• Findings, studies or research conducted by or under the auspices of a federal government agency or a nationally recognized federal research institute
• Clinical practice guidelines that meet Institute of Medicine criteria
• Reports by other professional and governmental associations
• Expert analysis by autism researchers
• Legal rulings by courts of law
• Decisions by Regulatory Agencies

Documents listed in the first three categories (peer-reviewed literature, findings from federal government agencies or research institutes, and clinical practice guidelines meeting Institute of Medicine criteria) meet the requirements from Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 836-053-1325 for medical, scientific, and cost effectiveness evidence for use by Independent Review Organizations in External Review decisions to determine whether a treatment is medically necessary, or is an experimental / investigational treatment.