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Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print

PubMed: 41070555 DOI: 10.1002/aur.70126

Maximizing the Quality and Reporting Standards of Autism Intervention Science.

Autism Res

Authors: Shannon LaPoint, Claire Brito Klein, Micheal Sandbank, Kristen Bottema-Beutel, Sue Fletcher-Watson, Gauri Divan, Dagmara Dimitriou, Evdokia Anagnostou, Mette Elmose Andersen, Amanda Binns, Tony Charman, Jasper A Estabillo, Stephanie M Fecteau, Anna Ferrari, Marie-Maude Geoffray, Lauren H Hampton, Sabri Hergüner, Emily S Kuschner, Jia Ying Sarah Lee, Julie Segers, Deanna Swain, Sarah Vejnoska, Giacomo Vivanti, Chongying Wang, Jonathan Green

Affiliations

  • School of Teacher Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
  • TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
  • School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
  • Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
  • Sangath, Badez, Goa, India.
  • Psychology and Human Development, University College London, London, UK.
  • Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
  • Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
  • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
  • Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
  • Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jerome, Quebec, Canada.
  • Department of Psychology, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
  • RESHAPE, INSERM U1290, Lyon, France.
  • Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
  • CH Le Vinatier, Bron, France.
  • The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
  • Ankara Autism Center, Ankara, Türkiye.
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, UQ Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  • Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
  • Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis MIND Institute, Sacramento, California, USA.
  • AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Autism Research Center, School of Sociology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
  • Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK.

Abstract

Although there are clear international standards for intervention science and reporting in healthcare, implementation and uptake have been limited within autism intervention research. To address this concern, a Special Interest Group (SIG) was convened at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meetings in May 2023 and May 2024. This SIG comprised members of the autistic community, senior clinical scientists, clinicians, advanced researchers, and early career researchers, who discussed and debated quality standards for autism intervention trials. This commentary summarizes relevant literature highlighted by SIG panelists and recommendations generated from small breakout groups and larger group discussions with SIG attendees. We recommend that all journals publishing autism intervention findings, especially autism-focused journals, institute mandatory reporting practices (e.g., trial registration, protocol, analysis plan) to facilitate transparency and rigorous autism intervention science, as well as related education initiatives in support of this goal. Findings from the SIG offer practical, actionable recommendations that we advocate be systematically adopted across autism-focused journals.

MeSH

Autistic Disorder, Research