Translating evidence‐based practice into a comprehensive educational model within an autism‐specific special school

Abstract

Research evaluations of A pplied B ehaviour A nalysis ( ABA )‐based interventions for children with autism demonstrate positive outcomes. However, little research has focused on the translation of these evidence‐based interventions into service delivery models within existing education systems. In the present article, we provide a description of the comprehensive ABA ‐based educational model used within T ree H ouse S chool, L ondon, UK . In addition, we analyse progress data over 12 months for a group of learners attending the school. Fifty‐three students with autism were tested and then re‐tested with the A ssessment of B asic L anguage and L earning S kills ( ABLLS‐R ). For 23 of these students a repeated V ineland A daptive B ehavior S cales ( VABS ) assessment was also available. Repeated measures t ‐tests revealed statistically significant improvements over time on all ABLLS domains and for all VABS scores. These data provide preliminary evidence that an ABA ‐based educational model can be integrated into the UK system and produce positive outcomes for children.