ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the alternating treatments designs to compare the relative efficacy of two treatments or to compare treatment versus no-treatment conditions. An applied behavior analyst assigned to the case of a child with developmental disabilities will find the child's parents have adopted a treatment strategy that is not supported by scientific evidence. Childrearing is thought to be the responsibility of parents, and its goal is the instillation of necessary skills and social behavior in the child. Autism is a serious disorder for which there is no easy, guaranteed cure. Parents of children with autism cannot be blamed for wanting to leave no leaf unturned. The chapter presents the case examples, which shows that the practitioners can collaborate with them in the design and implementation of controlled tests. In comparison to behavior specialists, physicians enjoy other benefits that keep them from having to convince parents to abandon unsubstantiated treatments for their children's health problems.
