ABA Versus TEACCH: The Case for Defining and Validating Comprehensive Treatment Models in Autism

Abstract

The authors analyzed the results of a social validation survey to determine if autism service providers including special education teachers, parents, and administrators demonstrate a preference for the intervention components of Applied Behavior Analysis or Training and Education of Autistic and other Communication Handicapped Children. They also investigated the comprehensiveness of these treatment models for use in public school programs. The findings indicate no clear preference for either model, but a significantly higher level of social validity for components inherent in both approaches. The authors discuss the need for research to define what is meant by comprehensive programming in autism.

Estratégias de condicionamento no atendimento odontológico de pacientes com transtornos do espectro do autismo

“…22 Behavioral management techniques used in Pediatric Dentistry can be applied to patients with ASD. These techniques are divided in two groups, basic and advanced techniques, according to the same contraindications considered for children without ASD.…”

“…Body stimuli and sound stimuli (words and sounds) can also be used in this method, which is aimed mainly to patients with poor verbal communication. 22,23 Tsang et al 23 concluded that children subjected to treatment with TEACCH showed a significant improvement of their motor skills and perception capacity. ABA ABA is the acronym for Applied Behavior Analysis.…”

“…This method consists in teaching new skills to the patient with ASD, and should be applied in stages, always respecting the patient's evolution, emphasizing, rewarding and reinforcing positive behaviors. 22,23 In a comparative study between ABA and TEACCH, Callahan et al 22 concluded that there is no clear preference for either of the methods, but rather a significant level of social validity for the components of both approaches.…”

“…27,28 The method consists in establishing a more dynamic communication through which the patients can express themselves by using a notebook with pictures or photographs of items/ activities present in their daily routine, and showing the image of a desired item/activity to a person in exchange for that item/activity. 22 According to Oliveira et al 29 the PECS training occurs 25 found an improvement in the levels of communication, with an increase in the number of spontaneous demands and social interaction, resulting in an improvement of social life. 30 According to Schmidt, 31 the objective of methods like Son Rise is to enhance the functional communication skills and language development by reinforcing the typical primitive development in a way to increase as much as possible the child's intentional, social and emotional conducts.…”

Nuevas tecnologías: Puentes de comunicación en el trastorno del espectro autista (TEA)

“…Actualmente, las terapias que cuentan con mayor validez debido a su eficacia clínica en el espectro autista, son la terapia ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis, Leaf y McEachin, 1998;Trivisonno, 2007) y la terapia TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic related Communication Handicapped Children) (Mesibov y Howley, 2003;Mesibov, Shea y Schopler, 2006;Callahan, Shukla-Mehta, Magee, y Wie, 2010;Virués-Ortega, 2010).…”