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.
