Interventions for autism are increasing being held to standards such as ‘evidence-based practice’ in psychology and ‘scientifically-based research’ in education. When these concepts emerged in the context of adult psychotherapy and regular education, they caused considerable controversy. Application of the concepts to autism treatments and special education has raised additional concerns. An analysis of the benefits and limitations of current approaches to empiricism in autism interventions is presented, and suggestions for future research are made.
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