title: Evidence and Evidence-Based Practices: Are We There Yet?
abstract: The purpose of this article is to move the field of intellectual and closely related developmental disabilities (IDD) towards a better understanding of evidence and evidence-based practices. To that end, we discuss (a) different perspectives on and levels of evidence, (b) commonly used evidence-gathering strategies, (c) standards to evaluate evidence, (d) the distinction between internal and external validity, and (e) guidelines for establishing evidence-based practices. We also describe how the conceptualization and use of evidence and evidence-based practices are changing to accommodate recent trends in the field.
authors.affiliation: Robert L. Schalock, Hastings College.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Schalock
authors.affiliation: Laura E. Gomez, University of Ovierdo, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: Miguel A. Verdugo, University of Salamanca, Spain; and.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Verdugo
authors.affiliation: Claudia Claes, Gent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Claes
mesh_terms: D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000628:therapy*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000628:therapy*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: evaluation standards; evidence; evidence-based practices; evidence-gathering strategies; guidelines for establishing evidence-based practices