Appendix A: About Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a complex developmental disorder that affects the way the brain works. People with ASD experience difficulties in two areas:

  • social communication and social interaction
  • restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviours, interests or activities

ASD is a lifelong disability, with symptoms appearing at an early age. Children and youth with ASD have complex and varying needs that may change in intensity over time and require a range of flexible supports, particularly those that support the development of skills.

The prevalence of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on American research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is around 1 in 68 (CDC, 2017). Please refer to the following link for more information about the prevalence of autism at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Appendix B: References

Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (2016). Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts. Retrieved June 19, 2017.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): Data & Statistics’ Accessed June 6, 2017. 

Drew, A., Baird, G., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). A pilot randomised control trial of a parent training intervention for pre-school children with autism. European Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 11, 266-272.

Dunst, Carl J (2011). Family-Centered Practices, Parent Engagement, and Parent and Family Functioning. Presentation prepared for the Head StartAdvisory Committee Meeting of Parent, Family and Community Engagement.

Feldman, M. A., Condillac, R. A., Tough, S. E., Hunt, S., & Griffiths, D. (2002). Effectiveness of community positive behavioral intervention for persons with developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges. Behavior Therapy, 33(3), 377-398. doi: 10.1016/S0005-78

Lafasakis, M., & Sturmey, P. (2007). Training Parent Implementation of Discrete-Trial Teaching: Effects on Generalization of Parent Teaching and Child Correct Responding. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40(4), 685–689.

National Autism Center (2015). National Standards Report. Randolph, M.A. 

Schreibman et al., (2015). Naturalistic Developmental Behavioural Interventions: Empirically Validated Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45: 2411-2428.

Seiverling, L., Williams, K., Sturmey, P., & Hart, S. (2012). Effects of behavioral skills training on parental treatment of children’s food selectivity. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 197-203.

Stewart, K. K., Carr, J. E., & LeBlanc, L. A. (2007). Evaluation of family-implemented behavioral skills training for teaching social skills to a child with asperger’s disorder.Clinical Case Studies, 6, 252-262.

Smith, T & Iadarola, S (2015). Evidence Base Update for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44(6), 897-922.

Taylor, B. A., DeQuinzio, J.A,, Stine, J. (2012) Increasing Observational Learning of Children with Autism: A Preliminary Analysis. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis 45 (4), 815–820.

Ontario Scientific Expert Taskforce for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (2017). Evidence-Based Practices for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Wagner, A.L., Wallace, K.S., & Rogers, S.J. (2014). Developmental Approaches to Treatment of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Handbook of Early Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders, J. Tarbox et al. eds. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series.

Wetherby et al., (2014). Parent-Implemented Social Intervention for Toddlers with Autism: An RCT. Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 134(6) 1-10.

Appendix C: Resources

For more information on the Special Needs Strategy 

For more information on Moving on Mental Health

For more information on Applied Behaviour Analysis including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) methods and procedures see Wong, C., Odom, S.L., Hume, K. Cox, A.W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Schultz, T.R. (2014). Evidence based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Evidence-Based Practice Review Group.

For more information on ethical implementation of ABA see Professional and Ethical Compliance Code and BCBA/ BCaBA Task List Fourth Edition document or fifth edition as of January 1, 2022.

The Autism Parent Resource Kit is an online resource to help parents, caregivers and families better understand autism and the range of services and support available in Ontario. 

Ontario Autism Program (OAP) Clinical Framework (June 2017). Prepared by the ASD Clinical Expert Committee for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

How is Autism Diagnosed? And other information relating to Autism services in Ontario.

A parent’s resource on Applied Behaviour Analysis 

For more Information on the practice of applied behaviour analysis, professional credentialing, and ethical standards for behaviour analysts 

For an in-depth discussion and a complete description of the principles and procedures of Applied Behaviour Analysis, please see Cooper J.O, Heron T.E, Heward W.L. Applied behavior analysis (2nd edition) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson; 2007.

For a listing of Autism Services Providers: Abacus (Autism Ontario) Resource type: Reference, Service Provider Directory.