Intensive behavioral/psychoeducational treatments for autism: Research needs and future directions

It is widely acknowledged that, to date, the forms of treatment enjoying th e broadest empirical validation for effectiveness with individuals with aut ism are those treatments based upon a behavioral model and that such treatm ents are best implemented intensively and early in the child's development. This paper describes several features important in the success of this mod el and presents remaining issues to be addressed for improving treatment ef fectiveness. While it is appreciated that there is no "one size fits all" t reatment for children with autism, there is as yet no established protocol for relating specific child, family, target behavior, and treatment variabl es to individualized treatment regimens. Future research needs to include w ell-conceived and methodologically rigorous investigations allowing for the determination of these important variables.