State and Federal Reports

The US Government has issued Mental Health: A Report by the Surgeon General, validating the research supporting ABA as the leading treatment for autism.  The report concludes that "thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior."

The New York State Department of Health has issued Clinical Practice Guidelines, Report of the Recommendations on Autism / PDD. The report recommends "a minimum (emphasis in original) of approximately twenty hours per week of individualized behavioral intervention using ABA techniques."

Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities (MADSEC) has issued a Report of the Autism Task Force, concluding that ABA is the only intervention "substantiated as effective by the scope and quality of the research."

California has issued a Best Practices for Designing and Delivering Effective Programs for Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This is an especially good source for learning about commonly used diagnostic and assessment tools. 

Guidelines for Identification and Education of Children and Youth With Autism (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2005), www.state.ct.us/sde/deps/special/guidelines_autism.pdf.