Utilisation of evidence-based practices by ASD early intervention service providers.
Early-intervention teams use more EBPs when they know the method and their workplace cheers them on.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent a survey to Australian early-intervention staff. They asked who uses evidence-based practices and why.
Questions covered knowledge, attitudes, and workplace culture.
What they found
Staff said they use proven methods more than unproven ones.
The more they knew, and the more their workplace supported learning, the more they used EBPs.
How this fits with other research
Perez et al. (2015) asked the same questions two years earlier. The 2017 paper adds workplace culture as a key driver.
Paynter et al. (2018) gave the survey to allied-health staff and got the same link: culture predicts use.
Locke et al. (2022) moved the survey into elementary schools. Only reinforcement is common; other EBPs lag.
Together the four studies show knowledge plus culture boosts EBP use across ages and settings.
Why it matters
You can’t just train staff and walk away. Build a culture that rewards trying new EBPs. Ask supervisors to model, give time to practice, and praise early wins. A supportive shop does more than a stack of certificates.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A number of autism intervention practices have been demonstrated to be effective. However, the use of unsupported practices persists in community early intervention settings. Recent research has suggested that personal, professional and workplace factors may influence intervention choices. The aim of this research was to investigate knowledge and use of strategies, organisational culture, individual attitudes, sources of information and considerations informing intervention choices by early intervention providers. An online survey was completed by 72 early intervention providers from four organisations across Australia. Providers reported high levels of trust and access of information from internal professional development, therapists and external professional development. A range of considerations including child factors, family values and research were rated as important in informing intervention choices. Participants reported greater knowledge and use of evidence-based and emerging practices than unsupported. Levels of use were linked to levels of knowledge, as well as some organisational and attitudinal factors. Areas for future research and implications are discussed.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2017 · doi:10.1177/1362361316633032