On The Reliability And Accuracy Of The Evaluative Method For Identifying Evidence-Based Practices In Autism

The editors of this book recently described the development and application of an “evaluative method” for assessing evidence-based practices (EBP) in Autism (Reichow et al. 2008). The major results of this investigation, which were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (Reichow et al. 2007) indicated that the method produced highly reliable and valid results, whether deriving from an assessment of primary or secondary quality indicators from published peer-reviewed, group research reports or from published and peer-reviewed, single subject experimental design (SSED) reports. The levels of inter-examiner agreement, ranged between 85%, with a Kappa or chance-corrected level of 0.69 (Cohen 1960), and 96%, with a Kappa value of 0.93. By applying the criteria of Cicchetti (2001) and Cicchetti et al. (1995), the levels of reliability ranged between good (85%, with a Kappa value of 0.69) and excellent (96%, with a Kappa value equal to 0.93).