ABSTRACT

The Interactive Autism Network, housed at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and sponsored by Autism Speaks, is the largest online autism project in the United States. Its mission is to connect thousands of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), their families, and researchers so that information can be shared and analyzed to learn more about ASD and its effective treatment. The majority of such ASD treatments fall into what is called complementary and alternative medicine. Effective treatment is also paramount because treatment resources are limited and cannot be wasted on approaches with poor or negative outcomes. With the exception of alternating treatment design, the major determination as to when to change conditions with any of these designs is a clear change in the participant's behavior. Relational—Socially-Based Treatment Relational therapy is based on the theory that ASD creates an early and profound disruption of interpersonal relatedness to others that hampers communication and engagement.