Autism leader helps UNB remain at forefront of autism intervention training

The University of New Brunswick has engaged a renowned expert to examine best practices in autism treatment.

Dr. David Celiberti is president of the Association for Science and Autism Treatment. His report, commissioned by UNB’s College of Extended Learning (CEL), examines program quality indicators already in place in other jurisdictions. The findings will be used to provide quality assurance for UNB’s program and to help UNB remain a leader with its Autism Intervention Training program.

“At UNB’s College of Extended Learning, we have great programs in place,” said CEL Executive Director Lloyd Henderson. “The methodology taught in our program is an Established Treatment as per National Autism Centre’s (NAC) standards.”

The NAC published a National Standards Report which classifies autism intervention treatments in a range from Established (known to be effective) and Emerging (some evidence of effectiveness), to Un-established (no sound evidence of effectiveness) and Ineffective (having no beneficial effects).

“We want to continue to lead in this area by taking a global approach, examining best practices, and making sure we continuously improve to offer the best intervention training possible. We monitor emerging treatments and will incorporate them into our programs if and when they are deemed established,” said Henderson.

“Autism treatment providers and program administrators should be required to report and justify why they are bypassing established treatment,” Celiberti said, in his report. “Parents should be educated and fully informed about which aspects of their child’s treatment are comprised of established treatment and which are not.”

The findings in the report will be used to establish a protocol for the CEL’s training program. It will also be made available to those involved in the administration and support of autism programs across the province and throughout Atlantic Canada.

“In light of the overwhelming body of growing intervention methods that parents and professionals are presented with on a daily basis, UNB’s intentions in undertaking this research project were to identify evidence-based proof of the support methods being used to treat children with autism,” Henderson said. “Thanks to Dr. Celiberti, we now have the information we need and are examining our programs to see if there are areas we can continue to improve.”

For more information on UNB’s program, or to read the report, visit: www.unb.ca/cel/intervention/index.html

ASAT President David Celiberti's Fredericton Presentation on Evidence Based Autism Treatments

L: Harold Doherty              R: David Celiberti 

I was privileged yesterday to be able to attend a presentation by  autism expert David Celiberti Ph.D., BCBA-D, President of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.  David Celiberti is an advocate for evidence based treatment for autism disorders. He also works directly with autistic children in two states, Maine and New Jersey.  Here in New Brunswick, Canada we have been fortunate to have enjoyed his contributions to the development of the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program on several occasions.  

Yesterday, a day ahead of a two day workshop he is presenting with the UNB-CEL AIT program, Celiberti took time to speak about evidence based autism treatments to interested parents and professionals at the Autism Connections Center here in Fredericton.  It was a beautiful, fall day but it was well worth spending part of the afternoon to learn more about understanding the importance of evidence based treatment of autism disorders, and learning from David Celiberti's academic, professional and clinical experience in the application of evidence based, ABA treatment for children with autism disorders. A very comprehensive list of credible authorities that have reviewed the evidence basis of autism treatments was presented along with some suggestions on how to evaluate specific autism treatment programs and service providers. 

Anyone with an interest in understanding the evidence basis of the hundreds of purported autism treatments could begin by visiting the Association for Science in Autism Treatment website and subscribing to the ASAT Newsletter. Another edition of the ASAT newsletter is expected to be issued today. 

Association for Science in Autism Treatment: New Brunswick (Canada) is Already a Leader in Autism Treatment

During the recent election campaign CBC published on its web site an article by New Brunswick autism expert Dr. Paul McDonnell. The CBC headline read “N.B. Can Be a Leader in Autism Services" and the article appeared on September 14 2010.   David Celiberti BCBA-D, President Association for Science in Autism Treatment, commented on that article pointing out that New Brunswick is already a leader in autism services. Dr. Celiberti is very familiar with New Brunswick's autism service delivery, having spoken in Fredericton and having met with parents, autism advocates and autism professionals here.  His comments on the CBC article can be found on the ASAT website under the title ASAT Responds to Canadian CBC's "N.B. Can Be a Leader in Autism Services" and are set out following this introduction. (The bold blue emphasis is added by me - HLD)

ASAT's recognition and encouragement to continue in our efforts here in New Brunswick are most welcome.

"ASAT Responds to Canadian CBC's "N.B. Can Be a Leader in Autism Services"

Saturday, October 23, 2010

I read with great interest your recent article about the state of services in New Brunswick (“N.B. Can Be a Leader in Autism Services," September 14, 2010). I do beg to differ about the title of the piece. New Brunswick is already a leader. To have amassed 800 trained agents of change in six years is nothing short of incredible and inspiring, particularly given the diversity of your province with respect to geography and language. Other Canadian provinces can look to New Brunswick for an exemplary model of how things could and should be for children with autism and their families.

There is a misconception that services in the United States are superior to that of our neighbors to the north. I can assure you that children with autism in rural areas and in economically depressed areas of the U.S. do not always access state of the art, science-based treatment such as those based on applied behavior analysis. In many cases throughout the US, children with autism receive poor quality behavior analytic services that may be lessened if providers were able to access more intensive training and networking opportunities similar to what is being offered in your province. Part of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT)'s mission is to help close that gap through information dissemination, and we are keenly interested in the efforts of leaders like yourself developing, implementing, and evaluating systems.

And like other true leaders, you have looked critically at your accomplishments with an eye toward making every year of service delivery better than the previous year. We applaud your recognition that treatment parameters such as intensity need to be tailored to each child to maximize gains. When resources are scarce, this individualization can be an arduous task, but nonetheless critically important. Equally important is the need to communicate to government officials, tax payers and other stakeholders that immense financial savings are attached to doing right by our children when they are young.

It is unfortunate that funding for parent training is not more abundant. Optimal outcomes for children with autism are predicated on the support of educated, informed and skillful parents. Promoting carryover, ensuring consistency, and enhancing skill development across all environments are crucial roles for parents, but parents require support and training to assume these crucial roles. Your stated concerns and insights about the dearth of services for adults are much appreciated, and reflect the challenges that we have here in the U.S as well.

Families of children with autism in New Brunswick are blessed. Keep fighting the good fight.

David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA-D, President

Association for Science in Autism Treatment