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Criteria Used to Assess Quality of Evidence
Supporting Intervention Studies in Autism
Spectrum Disorders
Every research report considered by the committee was assigned
to one category (I-IV) for each area (A, B, and C).
A. Internal
Validity: Control for specific factors, such as
maturation, expectancy, experimenter artefacts.
I. Prospective study comparing the intervention to an
alternative intervention or placebo in which evaluators
of outcome are blind to treatment status
II. Multiple baseline, ABAB design, or reversal/withdrawal
with measurement of outcome blind to treatment conditions
or pre-post design with independent evaluation
III. Pre-post or historical designs or multiple baseline,
ABAB, reversal/withdrawal not blind to treatment conditions
IV. Other
B. External
Validity/Selection Biases
I. Random assignment of well-defined cohorts and adequate
sample size for comparison
II. Nonrandom assignment, but well-defined cohorts with
inclusion/exclusion criteria and documentation of attrition/failures;
additionally adequate sample size for group designs or replication
across three or more subjects in a single-subject design
III. Well-defined population of three or more subjects
in single-subject designs or sample of adequate size in
group designs
IV. Other
C. Generalization
I. Documented changes in at least one natural setting
outside of treatment setting (includes social validity measures)
II. Generalization to one other setting or maintenance
beyond experimental intervention in natural setting in which
intervention took place
III. Intervention occurred in natural setting or use
of outcome measures with documented relationship to functional
outcome
IV. Not addressed or other
Lord and McGee, 2001:15
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