National Standards Project, Phase 2
In April 2015, the National Autism Center released its review and analysis of interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on research conducted in the field from 2007 to 2012. This publication provides an update to the summary of empirical intervention literature (published in the National Standards Report in 2009) and includes studies evaluating interventions for adults (22+), which have never been systematically evaluated before now.
This project was designed to give educators, parents, practitioners, and organizations the information and resources they need to make informed choices about effective interventions that will offer children and adults on the spectrum the greatest hope for their future.
The National Autism Center began work on the second phase of the National Standards Project (NSP2) in 2011 to provide up-to-date information on the effectiveness of a broad range of interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There had been a great deal of new research published since 2007, the end of the period evaluated by Phase 1 of the National Standards Project (or NSP1).
Phase 2 (NSP2) reviewed studies published between 2007 and February of 2012. As in the first iteration of the NSP, the focus was an evaluation of educational and behavioral intervention literature for individuals with ASD. The review updated our summary of ASD treatment literature for children and youth under age 22. We updated our original findings, added information, and evaluated whether any of the “Emerging” interventions in NSP1 had moved into the “Established” or “Unestablished” categories in NSP2.
We also analyzed intervention outcome studies for individuals ages 22 years and older. Because the first phase of the NSP focused solely on interventions for individuals under age 22, the recent literature search for individuals ages 22+ spanned several decades. The earliest intervention outcome study for individuals ages 22+ was published in 1987.