Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities : Fad, Fashion, and Science in Professional Practice

Where do fads come from? / Stuart Vyse Sifting sound practice from snake oil / Judith E. Favell The nature and value of empirically validated interventions / Crighton Newsom and Christine A. Hovanitz The appeal of unvalidated treatments / Tristram Smith Historial approaches to developmental disabilities / John W. Jacobson, James A. Mulick, and Richard M. Foxx Classification versus labeling / Susan Vig The self-esteem fallacy / Richard M. Foxx and Constance E. Roland The delusion of full inclusion / Devery R. Mock and James M. Kauffman Credulity and gullibility among service providers : an attempt to understand why snake oil sells / Stephen Greenspan Developmental disabilities and the paranormal / John W. Jacobson and James A. Mulick Fads in general education : fad, fraud, and folly / Martin A. Kozloff Fads in special education : an overview / Thomas Zane The neutralization of special education / William L. Heward and Susan M. Silvestri Fads in speech-language pathology / Mareile Koenig and Cheryl Gunter Autism : a late 20th century fad magnet / Bernard Metz, James A. Mulick, and Eric M. Butter Helping parents separate the wheat from the chaff : putting autism treatments to the test / Shannon Kay and Stuart Vyse Severe aggressive and self-destructive behavior : mentalistic attribution / Steve Holburn Severe aggressive and self-destructive behavior : the myth of the nonaversive treatment of severe behavior / Richard M. Foxx Person-centered planning : a faux fixe in the service of humanism? / J. Grayson Osborne Sensory integrative therapy / Tristram Smith, Daniel W. Mruzek, and Dennis Mozingo Auditory integration training : a critical review / Oliver C. Mudford and Chris Cullen Facilitated communication : the ultimate fad treatment / John W. Jacobson, Richard M. Foxx, and James A. Mulick Positive behavior support : a paternalistic utopian delusion / James A. Mulick and Eric M. Butter Nonaversive treatment / Crighton Newsom and Kimberly A. Kroeger Gentle teaching / Chris Cullen and Oliver C. Mudford Ethical dilemmas and the most effective therapies / Peter Sturmey Judicial remedies for fads and fraudulent treatment practices / Edmond Tiryak The National Institutes of Health consensus development conference on the treatment of destructive behaviors : a study in professional politics / Richard M. Foxx Afterword / James M. Johnston.

One of the largest and most complex human services systems in Western nations has evolved to address the needs of people with developmental disabilities. In the U.S., for example, school budgets are stretched thin by legally mandated special education, and billions of Medicaid dollars annually are consumed by residential and professional services to this population.

The temptation of a quick fix is strong. Many parents desperately seek the latest ideas and place pressure on program administrators, who often are not trained to think critically about the evidence base for intervention efforts. The problems of people with developmental disabilities have historically been targeted by a wide range of professionals who rely on clinical experience and intuition and do not submit their claims to the tests of scientific research. Professional entrepreneurs have energetically promoted their treatments to a public perhaps too trustful of those with credentials.

Thus, families and their children are buffeted by reforms founded on belief and ideologically driven management. Services fluctuate with the currents of social movements and rapidly shifting philosophies of care as policymakers and providers strive for increased responsiveness and individualization. These forces affect not only where and how, but how well people are served. Too often, services are less effective than they could be, or worse, damaging to personal growth and quality of life. Many treatments are based on poorly understood or even disproven approaches.

What approaches to early intervention, education, therapy, and remediation really help those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities improve their functioning and adaptation? And what approaches represent wastes of time, effort, and resources?

This book brings together leading behavioral scientists and practitioners to focus light on the major controversies surrounding these questions. The authors review the origins, perpetuation, and resistance to scrutiny of questionable practices, and offer a clear rationale for appraising the quality of services.

In an era of increasing accountability, no one with a professional stake in services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities can afford not to read this book.

"What approaches to early intervention, education, therapy, and remediation really help those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities improve their functioning and adaptation? And what approaches represent wastes of time, effort, and resources?" "This book brings together leading behavioral scientists and practitioners to focus light on the major controversies surrounding these questions. The authors review the origins, perpetuation, and resistance to scrutiny of questionable practices, and offer a clear rationale for appraising the quality of services." "In an era of increasing accountability, no one with a professional or personal stake in services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities can afford not to read this book."--BOOK JACKET Leading behavioural scientists & practitioners focus on major controversies surrounding therapies for developmental disabilities. They offer a clear rationale for evaluating the quality of services & review the origins, perpetuation & resistance to scrutiny of questionable practices