Predictors of expert providers' familiarity with intervention practices for school- and transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Where and how long a provider works, and whether their autistic clients have ID, predicts which intervention approaches they know best.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent a survey to 53 expert providers who serve school-age and transition-age youth with autism.
They asked how well the providers knew two kinds of tools: cognitive and behavioral approaches, plus engagement and accessibility strategies.
The survey also asked where each person worked, their field, years on the job, and whether their clients had intellectual disability.
What they found
Four things predicted which tools a provider knew best: work setting, discipline, years in practice, and whether clients had ID.
For example, a veteran school-based SLP whose clients have ID tended to rate accessibility strategies higher than cognitive ones.
How this fits with other research
Tiura et al. (2017) showed that child traits like baseline IQ drive ABA gains. Vassos et al. (2023) flips the lens and shows that provider traits drive what tools are even on the table.
Wehman et al. (2017) proved that an employer-based ABA program lands 90% of youth in jobs. The new survey hints why: few providers know that model exists unless they work in transition settings.
Mount et al. (2011) found parent confidence predicts home use of ABA. The new data echo the pattern: provider familiarity, like parent confidence, shapes what actually gets used.
Why it matters
If you coach transition students, check your own blind spots. You might miss job-site interventions simply because you have always worked in schools. Spend a day shadowing a VR counselor or tour a Project SEARCH site. Bring one new strategy back and teach it to your next student.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
School-age children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder encounter many different types of providers in their pursuit of treatment for anxiety, behavior problems, and social difficulties. These providers may all be familiar with different types of intervention practices. However, research has not yet investigated patterns in expert providers' familiarity with different practices nor how these patterns are related to the characteristics of providers (years in practice, academic discipline, setting) and the youth (age and intellectual disability) they typically support. A panel of 53 expert transdisciplinary providers rated their familiarity with 55 intervention practices (derived from research and expert nominations) via an online Delphi poll. Advanced statistical methods were used to identify types of intervention practices with which providers were familiar, which included two approaches (cognitive and behavioral) and two strategies (engagement and accessibility). Providers who practiced outside a school setting or treated clients without intellectual disability were more familiar with cognitive approaches. Clinical psychologists, behavior analysts, and school-based providers were more familiar with behavioral approaches. Providers practicing outside school settings were also more familiar with engagement strategies, and providers with more years in practice were more familiar with accessibility strategies. These results may help families and researchers to better anticipate how services may vary depending on the types of autism spectrum disorder providers seen and work to reduce disparities in care that may result.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613221100787