President's message
Dear Friends,
As President of the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) I
wish to both welcome you to our Web site and thank you for your
interest in effective intervention through the promotion of quality
applied research. As you may know, OAR is the only national
autism organization whose mission is the promotion of applied
research and the subsequent dissemination of evidence-based information. And
why is this important?
- Seeing is not believing. Believing a specific intervention
works is simply not enough. The one resource in consistently
short supply is that of time. As such, interventions that are
ineffective or have limited efficacy waste this precious resource
independent of what we may believe, or hope to believe, works. Applied
research allows us to make the transition from belief to knowledge
and, in so doing, make the best use of our time and our student's
time.
- Correlation does not mean causation. A number of years
ago in New York City all the buttons on the stop lights that
read "To Cross Street, Push Button, Wait for Green" were
disconnected. Yet people keep right on pressing them. Why? Because
every so often they push the button and the light changes for
no other reason than it was programmed to change at that time. This
results in a chance occurrence being interpreted as direct
result of one's action (in this case, pushing the button). We
may certainly perceive causation here but there is none. Applied
research gives us the tools to stop pressing buttons that do
not work.
- We have an ethical obligation. Quite simply, professionals
in the field have an ethical obligation to our students, adult
clients, families and funding sources to provide treatment
and intervention that is most likely to be effective. How
do we know what is most likely to be effective? By doing
the research, disseminating the outcomes and translating the
findings into our professional practice. Individual learners
with autism and their families deserve nothing less.
The Research Agenda
With that in mind, OAR’s research agenda is more challenging. Last year, we expanded the Applied Research and Graduate Competitions and awarded just under $400,000 in grants. This year we intend to award up to an additional $400,000 in total research grants.
This year will also bring the publication of the Proceedings from OAR’s first biennial Autism Research Convocation held in June 2006. The focus of the first Convocation was "Evidence-Based Interventions and Supports for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders." The Proceedings will include papers on each topic addressed during the convocation with a literature review, 10-year research plan, and commentary from community stakeholders. The second Research Convocation, this one focusing on social skills and adaptive behavior, was held on June 19 & 20 at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia and was co-sponsored by the Marcus Insitute.
Finally, we are hosting the Sixth Annual Applied Research and Intervention Conference in October and have an outstanding line up of speakers that includes both OAR funded researchers and invited speakers. (Click here to see the full schedule.) The conference promises to again be an extraordinarily worthwhile two day event.
We began 2008 by releasing the DVD "Asperger Syndrome: A Professor's Guide", and we will finish the year by adding both the Life Journey through Autism: A Parent's Guide to Assessement and A Guide to Employment and Residential Services and Supports.
OAR’s 2008 Research Agenda is ambitious by any measure. With the mission of OAR being to "apply research to the challenges of autism" this year's goals represent another step forward in doing just that. Thank you for your interest in, and support of, this mission.
Best
Peter F. Gerhardt, Ed.D.
President & Chari, OAR Scientific Council
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