J Autism Dev Disord (2010) 40:1417–1418
DOI 10.1007/s10803-009-0866-5
BOOK REVIEW
Ron Leaf, John McEachin (eds): A Work in Progress:
Behavior Management Strategies and a Curriculum
for Intensive Behavioral Treatment of Autism
DRL Books, L.L.C., New York, NY, 1999, ix + 344 pp., appendixes. $42.95 (paper)
Julie A. Knapp
Published online: 11 September 2009
Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009
Since the early 1960s, applied behavioral analysis emerged
and took root in the literature as an evidenced based
treatment methodology for children with autism spectrum
disorders (ASD). Since this time, intensive behavioral
therapy clearly became the most researched and wide-
spread dissemination of treatment for children with ASD.
However, only a handful of intensive behavioral therapy
manuals have been created to guide effective behavioral
practice in school and home based intervention programs
for children with ASD. Of these rare manuals, fewer yet are
written by clinicians whose research and ideas are vali-
dated in peer-reviewed journals. In ‘‘A Work in Progress:
Behavior Management Strategies and a Curriculum for
Intensive Behavioral Treatment of Autism,’’ you find
empirically supported intensive behavioral interventions
written by authors with credibility and a solid reputation in
the field of behavioral analysis. This behavioral curriculum
guide offers practical suggestions for most of the common
social and behavioral deficits associated with ASD, such as
disruptive behaviors, self-stimulatory behaviors, sleep
problems, eating problems, toilet training, and play skills.
In addition, instructional guidelines are presented for
increasing social, language and adaptive skills in a child
with ASD.
Leaf and McEachin’s goal for this book was to ‘‘provide a
road map and enough detailed examples that people working
with autistic children might develop a good understanding of
the teaching process (pp. ix).’’ To achieve this goal, the
authors organized their work into three basic parts: (1)
Behavioral Strategies for Teaching and Improving Behavior
J. A. Knapp (&)
Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, Center for Autism,
2801 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cleveland, OH 44104, USA
e-mail: knappj2@ccf.org
of Autistic Children, (2) a Curriculum for Discrete Trail
Training with Autistic Children, and (3) Appendixes that
include ready to use assessment and evaluations forms. The
foundation of this manual is offered in the first few chapters
and includes an overview of behavioral intervention and
important concepts such as curriculum development, stages
of therapy, reinforcement, reinforcement schedules and
feedback. This foundation lays the groundwork for the
upcoming chapters on addressing and treating specific
behavioral challenges common to children with ASD. The
authors offer concise hands-on behavioral guidelines that
can be easily implemented by parents, teachers, parapro-
fessionals and therapists. The authors continue to provide a
‘‘road map’’ for behavioral intervention by offering an
overview of discrete trial training, which is one of the most
frequently implemented procedures for treating children
with ASD. This overview is followed by an instructional
guideline of approximately 60 skills that can be taught.
Examples of skill sets include imitation, joint attention,
functional communication, and pre-academic skills. The
authors conclude their ‘‘road map’’ by offering various data
collection forms for tracking treatment progress. Certainly
data collection falls within one of the most important char-
acteristics of an intensive behavioral program.
A ‘‘Work in Progress’’ offers many important contri-
butions to the field of behavioral analysis. First, myths of
behavioral analysis are addressed in plain language and the
authors offer a more accurate account of behavioral inter-
vention in a nonconfrontational manner. Second, behav-
ioral intervention is outlined as a central and fundamental
aspect of treatment yet the authors are sure to highlight the
value of collaboration with other disciplines in the treat-
ment of a child with ASD. Third, the book is a compre-
hensive treatment guide that offers practical suggestions
that can be easily applied by multiple members of the
123
1418
child’s treatment team. Lovaas (1981) was the first to
suggest that parents play an important therapeutic role in
the treatment of their child with ASD. A ‘‘Work in Pro-
gress’’ clearly follows this approach by offering parent
friendly instructional guidelines for implementation of
behavioral interventions in the home. In addition, the
manual is also easily applied to school-based programs by
offering descriptions of educational curriculum in impor-
tant instructional domains. Finally, the application of the
behavioral principals offered in this manual, which are
derived from nearly four decades of supported literature,
are sure to result in significant beneficial outcomes for a
child with ASD.
The author’s hope was that their book would ‘‘earn a
place on bookshelves (pp. x)’’ next to other innovative
behavioral guides (Lovaas 1981; Maurice et al. 1996;
Freeman and Dake 1997) that influenced and shaped their
work. Although 10 years has past since ‘‘A Work in Pro-
gress’’ was released, the information continues to be rele-
vant and applicable. A ‘‘Work in Progress’’ has stood the
test of time over this past decade; it not only deserves to be
on the bookshelf next to these other important works, but
also deserves to be a highly recommended manual to all
families raising a child with ASD. This manual is nothing
short of remarkable and a promising guide for treatment of
123
J Autism Dev Disord (2010) 40:1417–1418
children with ASD in the years to come. The only criticism
apparent of this book is that by the time you are completed
reading the manual, you are left wanting more. The authors
prefaced this work with informing the audience that this is
a work in progress and not yet finished. Ten years later, the
audience continues to eagerly wait the next edition of this
book. Perhaps the next edition will not only come soon, but
offer more practical suggestions for intensive behavioral
intervention programs that use some of the newer prom-
ising methods that follow ABA principals, such as video
modeling. In addition, it would be ideal to see an updated
manual that makes use of Skinner’s analysis of motivating
operations for language instruction.
References
Freeman, S., & Dake, L. (1997). Teach me language: A language
manual for children with autism, Asperger’s syndrome and
related developmental disorders. Langley, BC: SKF Books.
Lovaas, O. I. (1981). Teaching developmentally disabled children:
The me book. Austin, TX: Proed.
Maurice, C., Green, G., & Luce, S. C. (1996). Behavioral intervention
for young children with autism: A manual for parents and
professionals. Austin, TX: Proed.