Portable data assistants: Potential in evidence-based practice autism treatment

The emerging era of “evidence-based practice” emphasizes that human service agencies need to find effective and efficient means of training staff and implementing systems change based on scientific evidence. Additional advancements in technology use across populations and settings within the field have also served as a catalyst for the development of contemporary staff training techniques. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to train management-level staff employed at an agency for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders to collect agency-wide data using personal digital assistant (PDA) data collection systems.

► Computerized data collection for ABA therapists.
► Evidence based practices in autism.
► Data-based decision making.
► Alternative school settings management strategies.