Question

A behavior analyst has developed and researched a new approach to teaching manding in children with ASD. The best way to demonstrate its effectiveness relative to the most often used conventional training program would be to

A) provide evidence to demonstrate that each intervention component contributes to the program's effectiveness.
B) implement the new program in various environments to demonstrate the durability of the intervention regardless of setting.
C) run a comparative study between the new program and an established mand training intervention.
D) run a demonstration study to generate more supportive research evidence than that available for the alternative training program.

Answer 1

The best way to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new approach to teaching manding in children with ASD compared to a conventional program is to run a comparative study between the two interventions.

Step-by-step explanation:

To demonstrate the effectiveness of a new approach to teaching manding in children with ASD relative to a conventional training program, the best option would be C) run a comparative study between the new program and an established mand training intervention. This allows for a direct comparison of outcomes between the two methods under similar conditions. Implementing the new program in various environments (option B) might show generalization of the intervention effectiveness, but it would not provide a comparison against the existing standard. Similarly, option A, while it contributes to understanding the active ingredients of the new intervention, does not demonstrate its relative effectiveness. Lastly, option D suggests gaining more supportive evidence for the new program, but that does not directly compare it with existing methods, which is necessary for demonstrating relative effectiveness.

When dealing with interventions for children with ASD, including applied behavior analysis (ABA), it's imperative to conduct research that evaluates both the efficacy and the practicality of the treatments. Comparative studies provide evidence for stakeholders, such as educators and policymakers, to make informed decisions on which programs may offer the best outcomes and should therefore receive funding and support.