SPD565 GCU Why Is It Important to Use only Evidence-Based Practices for Students with ASD?

Please answer the following question:
Why is it important to use only evidence-based practices for students with ASD? Explain how you would respond to a parent request for a controversial or non-evidence-based practice.
Respond to student discussion board:
(CA)As a parent of a child with ASD I can on some level understand how a parent would feel tempted to try anything to help their child. My son is high functioning and has his struggles but for the parents that have children that are very low functioning I could see where they could be really desperate for anything that could possibly help. Parents want their children to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, I have seen parents of children with autism fall victim to duplicitous claims that encourage them to try unsafe, expensive and ineffective non-evidence-based treatments. Before beginning any treatment, parents should question whether there is a coherent scientific rationale behind it, and think critically about its associated risks and benefits. They should also ask their healthcare practitioner whether the treatment has been proven effective and safe in objective scientific studies, and whether those studies have been published in well-established, highly reputable, peer-reviewed medical journals. If a parent approached me about using something that wasn’t researched based I would be very honest with them that I don’t know very much about it but I only encourage research based practices and that non research based could possibly cause other complications and they really need to do more research. Research based practices have been proven to be effective and have been studied with large control groups and have real data to prove it is effective. I would then give them examples of research based practices that would be a much better choice to try for their child and provide them with resources.
References
https://autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism/beware-of-non-evidence-based-treatments/
(AW) It is important to use only evidence-based practices for students with ASD so that parents/caregivers are aware of the risk and benefits of the treatment as there have been scientific studies made available about its effectiveness. In today’s time, anyone is able to post a study on the internet without validation and this could be very dangerous to these individuals with ASD. Additionally, the financial burden on the parents as they hope that the non-evidence based suggested practice will be safe for their child and help improve the deficits of this disorder. In order to be considered evidence-based, the practice must be thoroughly investigated in multiple designed scientific studies and present measurable, sustained improvements in the targeted areas (Autism Science Foundation, 2019).
I would respond to a parent’s request for a controversial or non-evidence based practice as an autism specialist who is advocating for the best interest of the child. I want parents/caregivers to know that every treatment listed on the internet is not always safe and when using evidence-based practices, the data collection is easily accessible. Teachers and clinicians are better able to make decisions on the child’s interventions based on their individual needs. Scientific evidence provides information about the treatment option such as what the function of their behavior is so there is a starting point of implementation and an organized way to collect data for proper analyzation if adjustments need to be made. I will also let the parents/caregivers know that the financial burden can be lessened when using evidence-based practices because they offer reimbursements ( Organization of Autism Research, 2019)
Reference
Autism Science Foundation, 2019. Beware of Non-Evidence-Based Treatments. Retrieved from https://autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism/beware-of-non-evidence-based-treatments/
Organization of Autism Research, 2019. Use of evidence-based practices. Retrieved from https://researchautism.org/use-of-evidence-based-p”¦
(MEG) The use of evidence based practices when teaching students with autism is required by law (Evidence Based Practices, 2019). Evidence based practices have enough research to back up the practices that they have all been proven to be effective for working with students with autism. Currently, there are 27 evidence based practices, if used properly, that have been proven to effective for students with autism (Evidence Based Practices, 2019). One thing that my district really pushes is that no teacher, regular or special education, is allowed to use methods that are not evidence based. We are told every year at our beginning of the year trainings that the policy does not allow for non-evidence based practices and that using those types of practices are grounds for termination. Thankfully, I have not had a parent ask