Autism Beyond Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects many individuals worldwide. Researchers have identified effective interventions for teaching new skills and reducing challenging behaviors that have resulted in improvements in the lives of individuals with ASD and their families. Namely, assessments and interventions based on the science of behavior analysis have strong empirical support for improving the quality of life of individuals with ASD. Although beneficial, the majority of this research has involved young children, which is not always easily applied to adolescents and adults due to unique characteristics of this population. This special issue addresses the need for research with older individuals with ASD by presenting a variety of papers evaluating behavioral interventions for adolescents and adults and discussing the specific needs related to this population.