What is Effective Treatment?

Ever since I started my consulting company, I have had the privilege of collaborating with a number of ABA providers. My goal for working with each group differ depending on their needs. However, I found that there was one area that consistently needs to be addressed.
 
I have yet to find a company that reports on and has a measurable standard to determine if the ABA treatment they are delivering is effective for their clients.
 
Now many groups report on progress, show that skills are increasing and maladaptive behaviors are decreasing, but it amazes me how the vast majority of treatment plans have very little mention of how effective ABA treatment is for their client. There may be some boilerplate statement such as “ABA has been determined to be an effective treatment for ______.” However, a deeper discussion of effectiveness of treatment is rarely presented. Why is this?
 
Why has it become the norm for our industry to discuss the progress on each individual program, and become less focused on measuring overall skills development and overall improvement to quality of life?
 
It is my observation that most groups report on the number of targets mastered within each program for that authorization period. I would argue that this is the minimum amount of information that should be provided. A much more robust understanding of the effectiveness of treatment could be derived from a discussion of the rate of overall learning, the client’s presentation relative to neurotypical peers, or if the behavioral intervention plan has successfully decrease of maladaptive behaviors, and what changes need to be make if not.
 
When I review a case for an adult client who presents with minimal communication skills and high rates of self-injury, it really makes me question the BCBA writing the report when I read some version of, “Treatment will continue until the child can exhibit the skills of same aged neurotypical peers.”
 
This really isn’t good enough, and it certainly isn’t where I want our industry to settle. We can do better. Contact RadBx to find a better way. ​