http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/01/15/dir-suit/6666/ Developmental Disability News Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:01:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/01/15/dir-suit/6666/comment-page-1/#comment-1036 fjmarone Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:44:38 +0000 http://www.disabilityscoop.com/?p=6666#comment-1036 Unfortunately, DIR falls into the category of interventions that logically may seem promising but do not hold up empirically. Adhering to the medical axiom "first do no harm" it is important to determine if time and energy (effort, finances, materials, etc.) devoted to unproven intervention such as DIR is harmfully being diverted from intervention empirically demonstrated effective such as applied behavior analysis. There is much misunderstanding about ABA, with many equating it with Discrete Trial Teaching (drills). This is unfortunate because ABA actually covers all aspects of instruction and remediation, including developmental, individual difference, and relationship based, but from an empirical base. Frank J Marone, PhD, BCBA-D Director of Services B*E*T*A: Behavior Education Training Associates Unfortunately, DIR falls into the category of interventions that logically may seem promising but do not hold up empirically. Adhering to the medical axiom “first do no harm” it is important to determine if time and energy (effort, finances, materials, etc.) devoted to unproven intervention such as DIR is harmfully being diverted from intervention empirically demonstrated effective such as applied behavior analysis. There is much misunderstanding about ABA, with many equating it with Discrete Trial Teaching (drills). This is unfortunate because ABA actually covers all aspects of instruction and remediation, including developmental, individual difference, and relationship based, but from an empirical base.
Frank J Marone, PhD, BCBA-D
Director of Services
B*E*T*A: Behavior Education Training Associates

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