Evaluation and research
New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline
On 2 April 2008 (the first World Autism Awareness Day), five people with lived experience of ASD and the Minister of Health launched the New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline (NZ ASD Guideline). The NZ ASD Guideline brings together overseas and New Zealand evidence, experience and practice in:
- recognising and treating ASD
- supporting children and adults with ASD
- teaching children and young adults with ASD
- employing people with ASD, and
- living well with ASD.
With funding from the Ministries of Health and Education, the NZ ASD Guideline was developed collaboratively. New Zealand and overseas researchers and experts, individuals with ASD, parents of children with ASD, and medical, educational and community providers all contributed.
In response to feedback received during public consultation on the draft NZ ASD Guideline, the Ministries of Health and Education commissioned additional independent reviews of applied behaviour analysis interventions for people with ASD. The results are available below.
Technical reviews of published research on applied behaviour analysis interventions for people with ASD
The results of two technical reviews into applied behaviour analysis (ABA) interventions for people on the autism spectrum conclude that there is no simple answer to the question of whether ABA leads to improved outcomes for people with ASD.
The two reviews were both skilfully conducted and are of high quality. Both review teams included respected researchers and analysts, and the draft reports were subject to rigorous double-blind peer review by two internationally renowned and respected experts in ABA research and practice.
The two reviews are published on the Ministry of Education’s data and research website, Education Counts:
The Ministries of Health and Education contracted the New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG) to manage the living guideline process and convene the Living Guideline Group (LGG). Information about how the technical reviews have been used by the LGG is available below.
The Living Guideline process and Living Guideline Group
The New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG) has set up a living guideline process to keep the NZ ASD Guideline current, and convened a Living Guideline Group (LGG) to carry out this process. The goal of the LGG is to ensure that the NZ ASD Guideline remains up-to-date and relevant as evidence changes. The first topic considered by the Living Guideline Group was Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
ABA was selected because it is an area of considerable interest within the New Zealand ASD community. The discussion of ABA within the 2008 NZ ASD Guideline generated considerable feedback during the Guideline's public consultation. The Ministries of Health and Education funded two independent reviews of published research on ABA interventions for people with ASD, and a further review of updated evidence in 2009.
The LGG used these reviews in determining whether the new evidence required changes to the ABA references in the NZ ASD Guideline. Specifically, the LGG's task was to consider the potential impact of the updated research evidence on the wording and grading of current recommendations in the Guideline as they related to ABA. The LGG also considered developing new recommendations. The resulting supplementary paper should be read in conjunction with the full NZ ASD Guideline.
As well as the two technical reviews of published research on ABA interventions for people with ASD, NZGG carried out an additional synthesis of research published after the completion of the reviews. Together these three papers are the technical reviews that supported the recommendations made by the Living Guideline Group in developing the supplementary paper.
What the LGG found
The LGG found that all 13 existing NZ ASD Guideline behaviour-related recommendations remain valid. The LGG made two additional recommendations and two new Good Practice Points. Although there is considerable variability in outcomes from interventions based on ABA principles, all specialist practitioners need to have a working knowledge of the range of ABA strategies and the underlying theory.
In summary, the relevant reviews, report and paper are:
Evaluation of ‘tips for autism’
‘Tips’, specifically developed for the New Zealand context, is being rigorously evaluated over three years (2007 – 2010).
During the first year, the Ministry of Health and Child, Youth and Family, a service of the Ministry of Social Development, also contributed funding for the evaluation.
A summary report from the first two years is available (Summary Massey Evaluation Year Two), and the final report is expected to be published in the second half of 2010.
Māori perspectives of ASD
A study about Māori perspectives of ASD, in which parents and whānau of nineteen Māori children with ASD were interviewed about their experiences. Published in 2004, this remains the only research into Māori views and knowledge of ASD.
EarlyBird Evaluation
An evaluation of the parent education programme EarlyBird (2006) is available in full and in a condensed plain language summary. The evaluation was jointly funded by the Ministries of Education and Health and includes:
- a literature review on early intervention and parent education around children with ASD
- a study of the outcomes for families from participating in EarlyBird; and
- a study about how accessible EarlyBird is for parents of children with ASD.
An Evaluation of Some Programmes for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Auckland: Opportunities, Contingencies, and Illusions
This study was undertaken from 2000-02, and was intended to provide an independent evaluation of the educational efficacy of two programmes being provided in Auckland.
Two of the conclusions reached by the researchers were about developing ASD services were:
- further research into an optimal programme of intensive early intervention for children with ASD; and
- training programmes for support workers and teachers in the mainstream, including behavioural principles, and ecological issues of learning and behaviour.
You can download a copy of the report from the Ministry's Education Counts website.
Subsequent to the evaluation and other evidence, the Government provided ongoing funding for capability-building initiatives as part of Budget 2004.
In addition to accessing these resources from www.educationcounts.govt.nz, copies can be requested from asd.mailbox@minedu.govt.nz [no spam].