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As part of a commitment to improving the lives of individuals with ASDs, Aspect undertakes research and evaluation to inform the continuous improvement of our services, programs and approaches to intervention. This section includes summary reports on completed research studies and information on current research studies. The summary reports can be accessed by clicking on the links below.
Completed research
Aspect research studies that have recently been completed include research comparing early intervention service models, a long-term follow-up study of Aspect’s satellite class graduates and research on students with ASDs in senior high school.
- A randomised controlled trial of two early intervention programs for young children with autism: Home based and centre based with parent program. Summary Report (PDF 326KB)
- Where are they now? A long-term follow-up study of students graduating from Aspect satellite classes. Summary Report (PDF 352KB)
- Towards independence: Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in senior high school. Summary Report (PDF 80KB)
Current investigations
Aspect research into the experiences of adults with Asperger's syndrome and high functioning autism
Adults with Asperger's syndrome and high functioning autism, aged 18 years and over, are invited to participate in an exciting new research project. We are investigating the life experiences and support needs of this group. The goal of this research is to raise awareness and improve the kinds of services and supports offered to people with autism spectrum disorders in Australia.
Find out more
Aspect Comprehensive Educational Approach: A multi-site action research study
The Aspect Comprehensive Educational Approach (ACEA) has been operating in Aspect schools for over 2 years. It is now a good opportunity to take stock of how the ACEA is being implemented in the six schools and to share effective practice between the schools. In order to move from our theoretical understanding to a more comprehensive understanding of how the ACEA is being implemented we have constructed a multi-site action research project. A team from each school led by the coordinators has taken responsibility for the data gathering and writing up of one of the elements of the ACEA. The coordinators will each lead a discussion on the element for which they have responsibility during a Coordinators meeting. The coordinators from the other five schools will then be able to contribute to the data gathered by the lead school. There are nine elements of ACEA and each school has responsibility for one element, while the Aspect Research Officer, Principals Group and the Senior Therapists are each leading one of the remaining elements. The first stage of the data gathering will be completed by the end of 2009. These data will then be supplemented with the latest research evidence and each element will be written up as a guide for the implementation of the ACEA in Aspect schools.
Download more information on the Aspect Comprehensive Educational Approach (PDF 177KB)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Social Responsiveness Scale in a Tertiary Referral Assessment Service
The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) (Constantino & Gruber, 2005) is a rating scale that has been designed to be used as a screener and as an aid to clinical diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Screening tools are used to identify children who demonstrate sufficient features of ASD to warrant referral to a more comprehensive diagnostic assessment. The SRS covers various dimensions of interpersonal behaviour, communication, and repetitive/stereotypic behaviours that are characteristic of ASD using a Likert scale response format. A number of studies conducted by the developer have indicated that total SRS scores reliably distinguish children with autism spectrum disorders from those with other psychiatric disorders (Constantino et al., 2000). However, subsequent research has suggested that screening instruments such as the SRS may over-identify children at risk of ASD (Berument et al, 1999; Towbin et al., 2005). The SRS is increasingly being used by front-line health professionals as a way of identifying children who should be referred to a comprehensive autism or multidisciplinary assessment service. Given some of the findings in recent studies regarding possible over-identification of ASD with the SRS and the importance of minimising expensive assessment resource on children who do not have ASD, the current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Social Responsiveness Scale as a screening tool in the specific case of deciding whether to refer a child to a tertiary referral autism-specific assessment service. The research commenced in 2007 and will be completed at the end of 2009. Teacher and parent SRS scores were compared to eventual diagnostic outcome for 48 children assessed by Aspect’s Diagnostic Assessment Service over a 12 month period.
Co-ordinated access to Services and Support (CASS): An evaluation study
Aspect Adolescent Support is a four-year pilot project funded by the NSW Department of Human Services - Ageing, Disability and Homecare and delivered by the Aspect Behaviour Support team. The project commenced in October 2007 to work with adolescents (aged 12-18 years) with a diagnosis of autism and an intellectual disability where there is a high risk of family breakdown or exiting school prematurely due to behaviour management issues. The program is being evaluated independently to find out whether a long-term co-ordinated approach to helping families to access and maintain services and manage behaviour delivered by a specialist team helps to bring about change in home and school settings in 1) decreasing client levels of challenging behaviour, 2) decreasing parent stress, 3) increasing adaptive behaviour; whilst working in a family-focussed way to build the capacity of local supports and services. The evaluation uses a range of standardised measures before, during and after service provision to asses change.
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