HOW MANY HOURS IS FORTY HOURS?
Poster Presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research

The International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) is the major international gathering of scientists involved in autism research across all scientific disciplines. In 2007, this conference was held in Seattle from May 2nd to 5th. The IMFAR website is here http://www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/Cofred/Public/Aca/ConfHome.cfm?confid=281

Dawson, M., & Mottron, L. (2007, May). How many hours is forty hours? Range of treatment intensity in Lovaas (1987). Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research. Seattle, WA.

To see this poster, click here (pdf, 85k)

All authors: Pervasive developmental disorders specialized clinic, University of Montréal, Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, 7070 Boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC, Canada H1E 1A4

Contact: M. Dawson naacanada@yahoo.ca
Website: http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_02.html
Blog: http://www.autismcrisis.blogspot.com/

NOTE: The pdf of this poster (linked to above), unlike the original ppt version, makes it difficult to read the three excerpts from Leaf’s testimony (from Wynberg et al. v. Ontario, Leaf, pp. 16687-16692 [Compendium, Vol. II, Tab 23, pp. 692-697]), under the heading,

R. Leaf (Reply)
Cross-exam (Kraicer)
Wed. June 30, 2004

Excerpt 1:

A. It was an average of 40 hours. There were children that received less than 20.

Q. All right—

A. One child, I was the direct—I was the clinic—I was the senior therapist on that case, and when I was Clinical Supervisor he received 18 hours a week. There was another little girl that received approximately the same amount of hours. So there were two children during the time I was there that received less than 20 hours.

A. In the 1987 article was the basis of this, this now comes straight from ’87. So the ’87 article was very clear in that. Recently Dr Lovaas and I had a conversation where we went over every child’s hours just to make sure that we were on the same page and we’re in complete agreement on the range of hours that children receive. And the range we agreed was 18 hours to the upper hours being in the 50 range.

Q. All right. And then did both of the children who received under 20 receive 18 hours?

A. They received—well, it changed over time. They started with 18, it lessened over time. And both of those children were in the best outcome group. 

Q. And that fact has not specifically been published in the literature as far as you’re aware?

A. No, it was not published in the literature. The range of hours was not published in the literature. Nor was it specific about which children—where they were in the range those that had the best outcome.