Unestablished Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities

For this assignment, students will be assigned to groups of 4-5 students and will be expected to do an audio visual presentation about an "unestablished", "non evidence-based" treatment or approach to supporting people with autism spectrum disorders and/or developmental disabilities. - Sign up for your group and topic in the Group/User section.

 

Maximum of students in a group is 5. First come first serve in terms of topics. Please sign-up for a group by October 31st 2021 at 11:59 pm. - Groups are advised to use vdieo conferencing, telephone, email, and other physically distanced methods to work on this assignment due to ongoing concerns with Covid19. - Microsoft Powerpoint with voiceover recording. Youtube or Vimeo video (instead of uploading a presentation, just post a link in your submission) - Use Microsoft Powerpoint, Prezi, or other applications to organize, structure, and provide visuals/text for the class to follow along to. - Presentations will be divided into sections (see table below that provides a guide on how to organize your presentations), and students/groups are free to determine who in their group will present information, and in what order. - Presentations should be no more than 10 minutes in length. - All group members will receive the same grade. The chart below will be updated to outline the members of each group, and the specific treatment/approach that the group will be presenting on by November 4th 2021: (GROUP 10 SHOCK Therapy)

 

1. History of treatment/approach - Where did this treatment/approach originate from? - Who developed the treatment/approach? - How long has this treatment/approach existed?

2. Summary of any claims, anecdotes, testimonials, etc. to support this treatment/approach - Who (e.g. which population) is the target of this treatment/approach? - Can you find any support for this treatment/approach online, across traditional media (e.g. newspaper, television news reports, etc)?

3. What are the costs of this treatment/approach for consumers? - Is this treatment/approach sold for profit? - Do any governments (focus on Ontario, but feel free to discuss other jurisdictions) provide any funding that can be used to purchase this treatment/pay for this approach?

4. Are there any risks with this treatment/approach? - Has anyone been harmed as a result of being exposed to this treatment/approach? - Have there been any cases involving people with autism and/or developmental disability or their families being taken advantage of financially by this treatment/approach?

5. What does the network of providers who sell these treatments look like across the world? Are there any nations/locations in which this treatment is widely practiced and accepted? - Are there any well-known authorities or governing bodies that promote/sell these treatments. - Is this treatment offered as part of any healthcare/social service in any part of the world?

6. Based on the SMRS (Scientific Merit Rating Scale) and what is considered "evidence-based practice", how would this treatment be perceived in terms of evidence-based practice? - Can you formulate a rating on the SMRS for this intervention based on SMRS criteria? - Does this treatment/intervention have any evidence to support its use? - Based on the information available, do you believe there is any possibility that this intervention may become an evidence-based practice in the future?