Parent choice

Parent choice

Part of the definition of “evidence base” is clinical experience and expertise. While research efforts continue to explore the etiology, biology, and efficacy of treatment approaches for autism, clinical experience also continues to accumulate.  DIR/Floortime programs have high family satisfaction ratings and are widely utilized throughout the world as an effective framework for assessment and intervention.

A review by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states, “There is no single best treatment package for all children with ASD.  Decisions about the best treatment, or combination of treatments, should be made by the parents with the assistance of a trusted expert diagnostic team.”

NIMH. (June 2, 2009). Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml

Because of the wide range of individual differences in children with autism, and the many unique relationships within families, it is necessary and proper for parents to have the information and options necessary to make informed choices about the type of services their child will receive. DIRFloortime has a solid base of empirical evidence and is widely used for children of all ages and abilities. Evidence-based practice means the clinician can utilize all types of information including clinical expertise, and a family’s individual values and preferences, in addition to published research. There is ample evidence for the effectiveness of DIRFloortime to support an informed parent choice.

Sandbank states, “States with insurance mandates that explicitly cover traditional behavioral interventions should furthermore revise their policies to include NDBI and developmental approaches given that these approaches have now accrued substantial evidence for effects in young children on the autism spectrum from recently published RCTs.”

Sandbank, M., Bottema-Beutel, K., Crowley, S., Cassidy, M., Dunham, K., Feldman, J. I., … & Woynaroski, T. G. (2020). Project AIM: Autism intervention meta-analysis for studies of young children. Psychological Bulletin, 146(1), 1.