The time is ripe for the renaissance of autism treatments: evidence from clinical practitioners

Elizabeth B Torres; Goldie Twerski; Hannah Varkey; Richa Rai; Mona Elsayed; Miriam Tirtza Katz; Jillian Tarlowe

doi:10.3389/fnint.2023.1229110

The time is ripe for the renaissance of autism treatments: evidence from clinical practitioners

Front Integr Neurosci. 2023 Aug 4:17:1229110. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1229110. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Elizabeth B Torres^{1

2

3}, Goldie Twerski⁴, Hannah Varkey¹, Richa Rai¹, Mona Elsayed¹, Miriam Tirtza Katz⁵, Jillian Tarlowe¹

Affiliations

¹ Sensory Motor Integration Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
² Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
³ Department of Computer Science, Rutgers Center for Biomedicine Imaging and Modeling, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
⁴ The Monarch Center, Lakewood, NJ, United States.
⁵ MTK Therapy, Yahalom NJ, Family Advocacy and Support, Agudas Yisroel of America, Lakewood, NJ, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Recent changes in diagnostics criteria have contributed to the broadening of the autism spectrum disorders and left clinicians ill-equipped to treat the highly heterogeneous spectrum that now includes toddlers and children with sensory and motor issues.

Methods: To uncover the clinicians' critical needs in the autism space, we conducted surveys designed collaboratively with the clinicians themselves. Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs) and developmental model (DM) clinicians obtained permission from their accrediting boards and designed surveys to assess needs and preferences in their corresponding fields.

Results: 92.6% of BCBAs are open to diversified treatment combining aspects of multiple disciplines; 82.7% of DMs also favor this diversification with 21.8% valuing BCBA-input and 40.6% neurologists-input; 85.9% of BCBAs and 85.3% of DMs advocate the use of wearables to objectively track nuanced behaviors in social exchange; 76.9% of BCBAs and 57.0% DMs feel they would benefit from augmenting their knowledge about the nervous systems of Autism (neuroscience research) to enhance treatment and planning programs; 50.0% of BCBAs feel they can benefit for more training to teach parents.

Discussion: Two complementary philosophies are converging to a more collaborative, integrative approach favoring scalable digital technologies and neuroscience. Autism practitioners seem ready to embrace the Digital-Neuroscience Revolutions under a new cooperative model.

Keywords: DIR Floortime; applied behavioral analysis; autism; developmental model; neurodevelopment; wearable biosensors.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the New Jersey Governor’s Council for Autism, grant number CAUTI18ACE014 to ET and by the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation Career Development Award to ET.